US embassy cable - 04ABUDHABI571

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 000571 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/FO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, AMGT, TC 
SUBJECT: DEDICATION OF `THE DUNES' - THE NEW EMBASSY 
COMPOUND IN ABU DHABI 
 
1. SUMMARY: THE U.S. EMBASSY IN ABU DHABI COMMEMORATED 
ON MARCH 2 THE OPENING OF ITS NEW COMPOUND, `THE DUNES', 
IN A DEDICATION CEREMONY ATTENDED BY THE GUEST OF HONOR, 
SHAYKH HAMDAN BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER 
AND MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, SEVERAL UAE 
SHAYKHS AND MINISTERS, THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS AND SCIONS 
OF THE ABU DHABI BUSINESS AND SOCIAL SCENE.  GUESTS 
ENJOYED A WARM WELCOMING AND A WELL-ORGANIZED CEREMONY, 
AND EXPRESSED REACTIONS OF APPRECIATION, GRATITUDE AND 
WELL WISHES. THE EVENT WAS WIDELY COVERED BY PRINT AND 
ELECTRONIC MEDIA.  SHEIKH HAMDAN RARELY ATTENDS SUCH 
EVENTS - A FACT THAT WAS NOTED BY SEVERAL ENVIOUS 
AMBASSADORS. END SUMMARY. 
 
2. WITH ALL MISSION STAFF PULLING TOGETHER AS A TEAM, 
THE U.S. EMBASSY'S DEDICATION CEREMONY YESTERDAY WAS A 
DAY TO BE REMEMBERED.  THE DECORATION, BUFFET, JAZZ 
MUSIC, THE FRESH WEATHER, AND THE GATHERING OF 
APPROXIMATELY 350 GUESTS, ALL CONTRIBUTED TO A 
SUCCESSFUL EVENT. THE AMBASSADOR'S DESCRIPTION OF THE 
NEW EMBASSY "AS A VERY VISIBLE SYMBOL OF (THE UAE-U.S.) 
PARTNERSHIP, TRUST AND FRIENDSHIP", WAS WIDELY QUOTED IN 
THE LOCAL PRESS. 
 
3. SHAYKH HAMDAN BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN, THE GUEST OF 
HONOR, WROTE IN THE EMBASSY'S GUEST BOOK: 
 
"IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO INAUGURATE TODAY TUESDAY 
MARCH 2, 2004 THE NEW COMPOUND OF THE U.S. EMBASSY IN 
ABU DHABI.  ON THIS OCCASION, I AM DELIGHTED TO 
COMMEMORATE THE DISTINGUISHED AND DEEP RELATIONSHIP 
BETWEEN THE UAE AND OUR ALLY THE U.S., WHICH SERVES THE 
INTERESTS OF BOTH FRIENDLY NATIONS UNDER THE LEADERSHIP 
OF H.H. SHAYKH ZAYED BIN SULTAN AL NAHYAN, PRESIDENT OF 
THE UAE, AND THE HONORABLE PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH, 
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
TODAY WE INAUGURATE THIS ARCHITECTURALLY BEAUTIFUL 
BUILDING, WHICH WE HOPE WILL SERVE THE INTERESTS OF BOTH 
COUNTRIES. 
 
WE HOPE FOR CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT AND PROSPERITY IN THE 
ONGOING RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO FRIENDLY COUNTRIES, 
AND WE TREASURE THE EFFECTIVE ROLE THAT THE EMBASSY IS 
PLAYING IN THIS REGARD." 
 
4.  THE UAE DIGNITARIES WHO ATTENDED THE CEREMONY WERE: 
 
-- SHAYKH HAMDAN BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND 
MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS; 
-- SHAYKH HAMED BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN, CHAIRMAN OF DEPARTMENT OF 
ECONOMY, MEMBER OF ABU DHABI EXECUTIVE COUNCIL; 
-- SHAYKH DR. SULTAN BIN KHALIFA AL NAHYAN, DIRECTOR OF THE CROWN 
PRINCE'S DIWAN; 
-- SHAYKH NAHYAN BIN MUBARAK AL NAHYAN, MINISTER OF HIGHER 
EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH; 
-- SHAYKH HAMDAN BIN MUBARAK AL NAHYAN, CHAIRMAN OF ABU DHABI 
CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT; 
-- SHAYKH FAISAL BIN SAQR AL QASSIMI, SON OF RAS AL KHAIMAH 
RULER. 
-- HAMAD AL MADFA, MINISTER OF HEALTH 
-- MOHAMED NAKHIRA AL DHAHERI, MINISTER OF JUSTICE, ISLAMIC 
AFFAIRS, AND AWQAF 
-- SULTAN BIN NASSER AL SUWAIDI, GOVERNOR OF THE CENTRAL BANK 
 
 
5. MORE THAN TWO MINUTES OF THE CEREMONY WAS COVERED IN 
THE EVENING NEWS AND THE EVENT WAS REPORTED IN ALL (5 
ARABIC, 3 ENGLISH) NEWSPAPERS.  WE POSTED AN ARTICLE ON 
DEDICATION AND SPEECHES OF AMBASSADOR WAHBA AND GENERAL 
WILLIAMS, DIRECTOR OF OBO, WHO DEDICATED THE BUILDING, 
ON THE EMBASSY WEBSITE. 
 
6. YACUB AL HOSANI, MFA DIRECTOR FOR INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 
AND ONE OF OUR VALUED INTERLOCUTORS DURING THE PAST YEAR ON THE 
TRADE AND INVESTMENT FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT AND THE ARTICLE 98 
AGREEMENT, PRIVATELY EXPRESSED HIS ADMIRATION FOR THE NEW 
BUILDING AND SAID IT SPOKE VOLUMES ABOUT THE STRENGTH OF THE 
BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP.  THE KENYAN AMBASSADOR REFLECTED ON 
EMBASSY BOMBING IN NAIROBI AND THE CHANGES THAT HAVE OCCURRED 
SINCE SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, AND NOTED THAT OUR NEW BEAUTIFUL AND 
IMPOSING STRUCTURE SENDS JUST THE RIGHT MESSAGE ABOUT THE 
AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC FOOTPRINT IN THE UAE. 
 
WAHBA