US embassy cable - 04ABUDHABI3409

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 003409 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/27/2014 
TAGS: PREL, UNGA, KMPI, TC 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S INITIAL MEETING WITH UAE FOREIGN 
MINISTER 
 
Classified by Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons:  1.4 
(B), (D). 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.  (C)  Making her initial call on UAE Foreign Minister 
Rashed Abdullah al Noaimi September 27, the Ambassador and 
the FM reviewed our robust bilateral cooperation agenda and 
discussed cooperation under BMENA and MEPI.  The Minister 
expressed his desire to cooperate with the U.S. and benefit 
from these regional efforts.  However, he cautioned that 
instability in Palestine and Iraq could limit the success of 
reform efforts and urged continued U.S. engagement.  The 
Minister, who had just returned from New York, praised active 
and effective engagement by the U.S. at UNGA.  End Summary 
 
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ROBUST BILATERAL COOPERATION 
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2.  (C)  FM Rashed Abdullah underscored the UAE,s 
long-standing desire to boost economic and security 
cooperation with the U.S., which he described as critical. 
Both he and MFA U/S Abdullah Rashed noted that they had just 
reviewed the latest revision of our Strategic Partnership 
agenda and commented on our robust cooperation.  The 
Ambassador stated that this cooperation was reflected in the 
number and quality of our visits and exchanges, particularly 
in the areas of trade, investment, counter terrorism and 
security.  She noted the utility of the agenda as a work plan 
for our bilateral cooperation, adding that she had asked the 
embassy staff to add a section documenting our long-standing 
scientific and technical cooperation.  The Under Secretary 
also viewed the agenda as a work plan and proposed that we 
review it on a quarterly basis to document progress and map 
out future efforts. 
 
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UNGA 
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3.  (C)  The Minister expressed appreciation for his meetings 
with the Secretary (together with other GCC FMs) in New York 
and commented positively on the strong engagement by the 
President and the U.S. delegation at this year,s UNGA. 
 
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BMENA 
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4.  (C)  Rashed Abdullah stated that the UAE wants to work 
with the U.S. on reform and expressed appreciation for our 
assistance and the Ambassador's news of the establishment of 
the regional MEPI office at Embassy Abu Dhabi.  The Minister 
said he was confident that that the UAE would benefit from 
this coordination, particularly in the areas of social and 
economic development and women,s issues.  Commenting that 
UAE society differed from those of the other Gulf countries 
-- citing in particular the large foreign worker population 
-- he praised the basic premise of BMENA and MEPI that reform 
must spring from each country.  The FM observed that most 
countries in the region had overcome their initial confusion 
or hesitancy about BMENA and are now looking at how they can 
cooperate and benefit from it.  The Ambassador stated that 
the UAE had much to offer others in the region, such as the 
UAE's experience in entrepreneurial skills training, job 
creation and women,s education.  She reviewed for the 
Minister some ongoing MEPI programs in the areas of 
journalist training and education. 
 
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BUT REFORM IMPACT LIMITED WITHOUT REGIONAL STABILITY 
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5.  (C)  The FM stated that the success of BMENA and reform 
efforts would ultimately be limited if there were no 
resolution to the Arab Israeli conflict and Iraq remained 
unstable.  He urged the U.S. to maintain its focus on the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which he repeatedly referred to 
as a "human issue."  The Minister commented that despair was 
pushing many Palestinians and Iraqis to resort to terrorism 
because they viewed their predicaments as hopeless. 
 
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COMMENT 
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6.  (C)  Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Shaikh Hamdan 
bin Zayed al Nahayan remains our key bilateral point of 
contact.  Nevertheless, Foreign Minister Rashed Abdullah can 
be a useful interlocutor.  As the MFA's senior diplomat, he 
has served as Minister since 1980 (de facto from 1980 to 
1990, when he was officially named Minister.)  While playing 
little role in day-to-day policy making, he represents the 
UAE at UNGA and in other international fora, such as the Arab 
League and NAM.  Although critical of U.S. policy toward the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Minister, in general, 
favorably views the U.S. as an indispensable ally. 
SISON