US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI5341

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 005341 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/FO, NEA/RA, NEA/ARP, NEA/NGA, AND NEA/PPD 
SECDEF FOR OSD COMPTROLLER AND OASD/PA 
USCINCCENT FOR POLAD 
PARIS FOR ZEYA 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/16/13 
TAGS:  PREL, KPAO, IZ, TC 
SUBJECT:  SHAYKH MOHAMMED BIN ZAYED ON AL ARABIYA 
 
Ref: A) Abu Dhabi 3994, B) Abu Dhabi 3945 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador Marcelle M. Wahba, for 
reasons 1.5 (B) and (D). 
 
1. (U) This is an action request  ee paragraph 7. 
 
2. (C) Summary: The UAE's leadership have raised 
objections with the management of Al Arabiya Arabic 
Satellite News Channel about the station's 
controversial broadcasts and have suggested that we 
also speak with the Saudis and Kuwaitis as they are 
the primary investors/owners of the News Channel. 
requested that the USG provide information and 
specific evidence to them that they can use when 
speaking to Al Arabiya.  End summary. 
 
3. (C) After Al Arabiya broadcast footage on Aug. 28 
of hooded men threatening to kill Iraqi Governing 
Council members (refs A and B), as well as other 
inciteful material, UAE Information Minister Shaykh 
Abdullah bin Zayed told us that he had at least one, 
and possibly two, serious discussion(s) with Al 
Arabiya's management. 
 
4. (C) In late November, when Defense Secretary 
Rumsfeld made his remarks on Al Arabiya, Shaykh 
Abdullah called the Ambassador (while she was in 
Sydney) to ask for more details of the allegations 
so he could further press Al Arabiya. 
 
5. (C) Air Force Secretary Roche raised the issue of 
Al Arabiya's broadcasts with Deputy Crown Prince of 
Abu Dhabi and Armed Forces Chief of Staff LTG Shaykh 
Mohammed bin Zayed on December 10 during the Dubai 
Airshow.  Shaykh Mohammed said that the UAEG had 
already spoken quite severely with Al Arabiya a 
number of times asking them to practice 
"responsible" journalism and to be more balanced in 
their reporting.  He added that the UAEG is willing 
to intervene, but pointed out that Al Arabiya is not 
owned or controlled by the UAEG.  Al Arabiya is 
located in the Dubai Media Free Zone where all the 
other media giants are, such as CNN and Reuters. 
These stations are there because the UAEG and Dubai 
allow them to broadcast without censorship. 
 
6. (C) Shaykh Mohammed told Secretary Roche that the 
USG needed to talk to the Saudis and to the 
Kuwaitis.   Al Arabiya, as we have noted in ref B, 
is owned principally by wealthy Saudi businessman 
Waleed bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, a principal 
shareowner of Middle East Broadcasting Corporation 
(MBC), Al Arabiya's parent company, and whose sister 
Jawhara bint Ibrahim Al Ibrahim is a wife of King 
Fahd.  Other Al Arabiya investors reportedly include 
Kuwaiti businessmen and a Kuwaiti royal family 
member, Ahmed Al Fahed Al Sabah. 
 
7. (C) Comment/Action request:  We don't think the 
Emiratis can do more than use their influence to 
affect the way Al Arabiya's Dubai-based management 
conducts itself.  The UAE leadership cannot shut 
down the station or cancel residency visa permits 
without destroying Dubai's free-zone reputation  something they will 
not/not consider, and cannot do. 
Post would appreciate any new information or 
specific evidence that we could pass on to the 
Emiratis to help them press Al Arabiya further.  The 
fact that the Emiratis have proactively sought such 
information at the Shaykh level tells us that they 
are serious about using their influence and are not 
shying away from dealing with this problem. 
WAHBA