US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI5428

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 005428 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/PPD; NEA/ARP; ECA; IIP/G/NEA TSCOTT; 
NEA/PI; PA/FO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, OEXC, KPAO, TC 
SUBJECT: US SPEAKER PHILIP REEKER DISCUSSES REGIONAL 
ISSUES WITH UAE MEDIA 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY: PHILIP REEKER, SPOKESMAN-AT-LARGE AND 
FORMER DOS DEPUTY SPOKESMAN AND DAS FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS, 
VISITED THE UAE ON DECEMBER 15.  HIS PROGRAM INCLUDED A 
VISIT TO THE EMIRATES INSTITUTE OF DIPLOMACY, A VISIT TO 
THE EMIRATES CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND RESEARCH, A ONE-ON- 
ONE WITH THE UAE SEMI-OFFICIAL ARABIC "AL ITTIHAD" 
DAILY, A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION WITH NEWS EDITORS AND 
PRODUCERS OF AL-ARABIYAH SATELLITE CHANNEL, AND TWO TV 
INTERVIEWS WITH AL-ARABIYAH AND THE MIDDLE EAST 
BROADCASTING CENTER (MBC).  BY ADDRESSING A LARGE NUMBER 
OF DIFFERENT MEDIA, DAS REEKER GAINED THE ATTENTION OF 
UAE AND REGIONAL AUDIENCES TO EXPLAIN U.S. POLICIES ON 
SEVERAL IMPORTANT REGIONAL ISSUES.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM: POST HOSTED PHILIP 
REEKER, SPOKESMAN-AT-LARGE AND FORMER DOS DEPUTY 
SPOKESMAN AND DAS FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS ON DECEMBER 15. 
THE PA SECTION ARRANGED A VISIT TO THE EMIRATES 
INSTITUTE OF DIPLOMACY AND A MEETING WITH ITS DIRECTOR 
DR. YOUSUF AL-HASAN.  AFTER DISCUSSING CURRENT TRENDS IN 
THE GCC AND THE UAE, REEKER OUTLINED THE US 
ADMINISTRATION'S COMMITMENT TO PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. 
HE ALSO DISCUSSED THE ISSUE OF CONTRACTING IN IRAQ AND 
EXPLAINED THE US DECISION TO BAN CERTAIN COMPANIES FROM 
PRIMARY CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS. 
 
 
 
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SYRIA ACCOUNTABILITY ACT 
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3.  THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE PROGRAM WAS THE ROUNDTABLE WITH 
NEWS EDITORS AND PRODUCERS AT AL ARABIYAH.  DURING THIS 
EVENT, DAS REEKER DISCUSSED THE SYRIA ACCOUNTABILITY ACT 
AND EXPLAINED SYRIA'S FAILURE TO FIGHT TERRORISM AND 
DISCLOSE ITS PROGRAM OF WEAPONS OF WMD.  LATER, DAS 
REEKER REITERATED THESE POINTS IN SEPARATE INTERVIEWS 
WITH SATELLITE TELEVISION STATIONS MBC AND AL ARABIYAH. 
DAS REEKER'S INTERVIEWS WERE CARRIED ON SEVERAL NEWS 
BROADCASTS AND NEW PROGRAMS ON BOTH CHANNELS. 
 
4.  AS A RESULT OF HIS INTERVIEW, AL-ITTIHAD CARRIED A 
QUARTER-PAGE STORY WITH THE HEADLINE: "REEKER TELLS 'AL- 
ITTIHAD': DAMASCUS HAS FAILED TO MEET ITS COMMITMENTS TO 
EXPEL TERRORIST GROUPS.'"  IN THIS ARTICLE, DAS REEKER 
EXPLAINED THAT HIS CURRENT TRIP CAME IN RESPONSE TO 
INSTRUCTIONS BY SECRETARY POWELL, WHO WANTED HIM TO GET 
FIRST-HAND IMPRESSIONS OF PUBLIC OPINION IN THE REGION. 
AT THE SAME TIME, SECRETARY POWELL URGED HIM TO EDUCATE 
HIS AUDIENCE ON HOW A VARIETY OF U.S. INSTITUTIONS PLAY 
A ROLE IN THE POLICY-MAKING PROCESS, THUS BOOSTING 
DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE U.S. AND THE REGION.  IN REFERENCE 
TO THE MIDDLE EAST PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE, DAS REEKER 
WAS ALSO QUOTED AS SAYING, "THE U.S. DOES NOT INTEND TO 
IMPOSE ITS DEMOCRACY ON THE REGION BUT TO ENCOURAGE 
DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES THAT ARE COMPATIBLE WITH THE 
NATURE OF EACH NATION ..." 
 
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COMPLEXITIES OF US FOREIGN POLICY FORMULATION 
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5.  RESULT/IMPACT:  EXCELLENT.  AS A FORMER DEPUTY 
SPOKESMAN WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THE REGION, DAS REEKER SPOKE 
WITH AUTHORITY ON A WIDE RANGE OF REGIONAL ISSUES 
INCLUDING THE ROADMAP, IRAQ AND THE SYRIA ACCOUNTABILITY 
ACT.  DAS REEKER EXPLAINED HOW U.S. POLICY IS 
FORMULATED, THE VARIOUS CURRENTS OF PUBLIC OPINION AND 
THE WAY IN WHICH LOBBIES AND INTEREST GROUPS INFLUENCE 
THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION RELATIONS WITH OTHER COUNTRIES, 
AND THE U.S. DECISION ON RECONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS IN 
IRAQ.  AT A TIME OF CONTINUED HOSTILITY TOWARDS U.S. 
POLICIES IN THE REGION, DAS REEKER GAINED THE ATTENTION 
AND UNDERSTANDING FROM SEVERAL AUDIENCES ON KEY USG 
ISSUES.  POST COMMENDS PA FOR ESTABLISHING POSITION OF 
SPOKESMAN AT LARGE AND HOPES TO HAVE SIMILAR VISITS IN 
THE FUTURE. 
 
WAHBA