US embassy cable - 04ABUDHABI1989

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001989 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2014 
TAGS: PREL, SA, TC 
SUBJECT: UAE HAS UNFINISHED BUSINESS OVER ITS BORDER 
WITH SAUDI ARABIA 
 
Ref: 03 Abu Dhabi 4764 
 
Classified by Ambassador Marcelle M. Wahba, reasons 
1.5 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (S) Summary:  Thirty years after signing an 
agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over their 
common border, the UAE Government still views three 
issues as unsettled and needing discussion: 
exploitation of the Zarrarah/Shaybah oil field; the 
maritime border between Saudi Arabia and the UAE; and 
the delimitation of the convergence point of the tri- 
border area between the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. 
MFA Under Secretary Abdullah Rashid Al-Nuaimi briefed 
the Ambassador on the situation during her farewell 
call at his MFA office on June 14.  UAE Deputy Prime 
Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs 
Shaykh Hamdan bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (HbZ) had earlier 
told the Ambassador about an exchange of letters he 
had had with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al- 
Faisal, in which the two disagreed over the need to 
review the 1974 agreement.  Abdullah Rashid said he 
expects the border issue will have to be raised to the 
level of their two Crown Princes.  End Summary. 
 
2. (S) During the Ambassador's farewell call on MFA 
Under Secretary Abdullah Rashid Al-Nuaimi, she 
inquired about the UAE-Saudi border issue and a recent 
exchange of letters on the same issue between UAE 
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for 
Foreign Affairs Shaykh Hamdan and the Saudi Foreign 
Minister.  Shaykh Hamdan had mentioned the two 
strongly worded letters to the Ambassador in an 
earlier conversation.  Abdullah Rashid provided some 
background to the dispute, saying that after the two 
countries had signed a border agreement in 1974, the 
UAE realized it had conceded more than it should have. 
It was a case of "force majeur," he said.  In 1974, 
the newly federated Emirates were in a "to-be-or-not- 
to-be" position and badly needed Saudi recognition. 
He noted that the period was marked by border disputes 
with all neighbors and until the agreement, Saudi 
Arabia had refused to recognize UAE passports. 
 
Three issues: oil, maritime rights, tri-border area 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
3. (S) While the UAE recognizes the land border 
between its territory and Saudi Arabia, as established 
by the 1974 agreement, there are three issues that it 
wishes to revisit with the Saudis, Abdullah Rashid 
said.  The first issue has to do with the rights to 
the Zarrarah (UAE side)/Shaybah (Saudi side) oil field 
that lies under both sides of the UAE-Saudi border. 
The majority of the field is in Saudi territory.  The 
1974 agreement stipulates that the UAE may not drill 
for oil in Zarrarah.  "The UAE thinks it is not fair 
that we cannot utilize this," Abdullah Rashid said. 
 
4. (S) The second issue relates to the UAE-Saudi 
maritime border.  Abdullah Rashid said the 1974 
agreement did not clearly demarcate the border at sea. 
What the Emiratis are seeking is to define the 
maritime border in such a way that the UAE would have 
some contiguous waters with Qatar.  "We don't want to 
be separated from the Qataris by a slice of Saudi 
waters," he said. 
 
5. (S) Abdullah Rashid told the Ambassador that the 
third issue the UAE would like to revisit concerns the 
tri-border area between the UAE, Oman, and Saudi 
Arabia.  The Saudis and Omanis have agreed to their 
common border, and the Saudis and Emiratis have agreed 
to theirs.  However, these two agreements specify 
different points of convergence.  The Emiratis would 
like there to be a trilateral agreement on the points 
of convergence.  (Note:  The UAE and Oman resolved 
their remaining border issues last fall (see reftel)). 
 
Revisiting the 1974 agreement 
----------------------------- 
 
6. (S) As far as the Saudis are concerned, the 1974 
border agreement with the UAE has been implemented and 
there is no need for further discussion.  "They say 
it's finished," Abdullah Rashid said, adding that the 
UAE is seeking agreement on the three points.  "We are 
not asking to renegotiate," he said.  He told the 
Ambassador that the UAE would like to resolve the 
remaining UAE-Saudi border issues just as it had 
resolved issues with Oman.  Only the dispute with Iran 
over the islands would remain. 
 
7. (S) The Ambassador asked Abdullah Rashid if he 
thought the border dispute could be resolved by HbZ 
and Prince Saud, or would it have to be raised at the 
level of Crown Prince Abdullah.  Abdullah Rashid 
expected it would require attention at a higher level. 
"We don't want to make it a problem," he said.  "It's 
a process." 
 
Comment: 
------- 
 
8. (S) If the UAE insists on revisiting its 1974 
border agreement with the Saudis, it will have to 
significantly ratchet up its diplomatic activity to do 
so, by raising the issue with Crown Prince Abdullah. 
We expect that obtaining Saudi agreement to UAE 
drilling on the Zarrarah oil field will be an uphill 
battle. 
 
WAHBA