US embassy cable - 04ABUDHABI3966

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 003966 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, ASEC, TC 
SUBJECT: UAE MOURNS THE DEATH OF ITS LEADER 
 
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR MICHELE J. SISON, REASONS 1.4 
(B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (U) SUMMARY: THE UAE IS MOURNING THE DEATH OF ITS 
PRESIDENT, SHEIKH ZAYED BIN SULTAN AL NAHYAN, WHO 
PASSED AWAY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, AFTER A LONG ILLNESS. 
OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS, THE UAEG HAS BEEN PREOCCUPIED 
WITH FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS AND VISITING DIGNITARIES WHO 
HAVE COME TO PAY THEIR FINAL RESPECTS.  SHEIKH ZAYED, 
WHO HAS RULED THE UAE SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 1971, HAS 
BEEN PRAISED FOR HIS WISE LEADERSHIP, HUMANITARIAN 
SPIRIT, AND TOLERANCE. THERE HAS BEEN A PREDICTABLE 
OUTPOURING OF SYMPATHY FROM AROUND THE WORLD.  ZAYED'S 
OLDEST SON, KHALIFA BIN ZAYED, IS THE RULER OF ABU 
DHABI AND IS NOW EFFECTIVELY RUNNING THE COUNTRY. 
SHEIKH MAKTOUM BIN RASHID AL MAKTOUM, THE TITULAR 
RULER OF DUBAI AND TITULAR PRIME MINISTER OF THE UAE, 
WILL SERVE AS ACTING PRESIDENT FOR THE NEXT THIRTY 
DAYS.  END SUMMARY. 
 
SUBDUED ATMOSPHERE 
------------------- 
 
2.  (U) THOUGH SHEIKH ZAYED'S HEALTH HAD BEEN 
PRECARIOUS FOR SOME TIME, AND RUMORS OF HIS IMMINENT 
DEMISE HAD BEEN CIRCULATING FOR WEEKS, HIS DEATH 
PROVOKED A FEELING OF PROFOUND SADNESS AND LOSS AMONG 
UAE RESIDENTS OF ALL NATIONALITIES.  RADIO AND 
TELEVISION STATIONS BROADCAST PRAYERS AND KORANIC 
VERSES.  MOST BUSINESSES HAVE CLOSED FOR THREE DAYS 
AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS CLOSED FOR EIGHT DAYS 
AS A 40-DAY PERIOD OF MOURNING BEGAN ON WEDNESDAY, 
NOVEMBER 3. 
 
3.  (U) THERE HAS BEEN A MODEST INCREASE IN SECURITY 
ON THE STREETS AROUND THE PALACES OF THE LEADERSHIP. 
THE MILITARY RECALLED TROOPS FROM LEAVE STATUS TO FILL 
THE INCREASED SECURITY REQUIREMENTS. SECURITY FORCES 
HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED TO KEY INSTALLATIONS AND ARE 
PROTECTING THE SCORES OF FOREIGN AND LOCAL DIGNITARIES 
WHO HAVE BEEN ARRIVING IN THE CAPITAL TO EXPRESS THEIR 
CONDOLENCES.  WE HAVE LEARNED THAT 60 BUSLOADS OF 
SECURITY PERSONNEL WERE DISPATCHED BY THE NORTHERN 
EMIRATES TO PROTECT THE HEADS OF STATE COMING FOR THE 
FUNERAL.  SEVERAL MAJOR HOTELS, INCLUDING THE HILTON, 
INTERCONTINENTAL, AND SHERATON, TRANSFERRED GUESTS TO 
OTHER HOTELS TUESDAY NIGHT TO ACCOMMODATE THE HUNDREDS 
OF DIGNITARIES, INCLUDING RULING FAMILY MEMBERS FROM 
THE GULF STATES. 
 
4.  (U) ON TUESDAY NIGHT, ROADS LEADING TO NEW ABU 
DHABI RULER SHEIKH KHALIFA'S AL BATEEN PALACE WERE 
CROWDED WITH MOURNERS' VEHICLES.  OTHER THAN THAT, THE 
USUAL BUSTLING ATMOSPHERE OF DOWNTOWN ABU DHABI HAD 
BEEN REPLACED WITH AN EERIE STILLNESS.  MALLS AND 
OTHER OUTLETS REMOVED ALL COLORFUL DECORATIONS THAT 
WERE DISPLAYED FOR RAMADAN AND MOST GOVERNMENT 
BUILDINGS AND MANY PRIVATE BUSINESSES TURNED OFF THEIR 
LIGHTS AND SHUTTERED THEIR WINDOWS OUT OF RESPECT, 
SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGING THE APPEARANCE OF THE NORMALLY 
ENERGETIC NIGHTTIME LANDSCAPE OF THE CITY.  OVERNIGHT, 
THE ABU DHABI MUNICIPALITY DRAPED BLACK CLOTH OVER 
MANY DOWNTOWN BILLBOARDS ALONG THE STREETS. 
 
5.  (SBU) NEWS OF SHEIKH ZAYED'S PASSING MOTIVATED MANY 
CITY RESIDENTS IN ABU DHABI AND DUBAI TO RUSH TO 
SUPERMARKETS TO STOCK UP ON ESSENTIAL ITEMS SINCE THE 
OUTLETS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN CLOSED FOR THE NEXT 
THREE DAYS.  MANY ATMS RAN OUT OF CASH TUESDAY NIGHT, 
BUT WERE RESTOCKED BY WEDNESDAY MORNING.  IN DUBAI, 
CHANGES WERE LESS STRIKING, WITH SUPERMARKETS AND MANY 
SHOPS OPEN FOR BUSINESS AT MID-DAY WEDNESDAY AND 
BEACHES WELL POPULATED WITH BATHERS.  UAE NATIONALS IN 
DUBAI (WHO MAKE UP LESS THAN 10 PERCENT OF THE 
POPULATION) WERE NOTICEABLY SUBDUED AND UNSMILING IN 
PUBLIC. EXPRESSIONS OF CONDOLENCES WERE INEVITABLY 
ACKNOWLEDGED BUT FOLLOWED QUICKLY WITH THE OBSERVATION 
THAT "THIS HAS BEEN EXPECTED FOR A LONG TIME." 
 
 
MOURNED BY PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD 
----------------------------------------- 
 
6.  (U) OTHER ARAB STATES REACTED TO THE DEATH OF 
SHEIKH ZAYED BY DECLARING PERIODS OF MOURNING AND 
ISSUING CONDOLENCE STATEMENTS.  EGYPT'S PRESIDENT 
MUBARAK CALLED ZAYED "A DEAR FRIEND, AND A LEADER WHO 
REPRESENTED THE BEST OF MANKIND."  ARAB LEAGUE 
SECRETARY GENERAL AMR MOUSSA CHARACTERIZED ZAYED AS "A 
 
SIPDIS 
NOBLE KNIGHT WHOSE LIFE WAS MARKED BY A CONSCIENTIOUS, 
MEASURED, AND WISE LEADERSHIP."  JORDAN AND BAHRAIN 
BOTH DECREED GOVERNMENT CLOSURES OF THREE DAYS AND A 
40-DAY PERIOD OF MOURNING.  YEMEN, MOROCCO, OMAN AND 
PALESTINE DECREED A THREE-DAY MOURNING PERIOD AND 
LEBANON DECREED A 48-HOUR MOURNING.  THE SENTIMENTS OF 
THE ARAB LEADERS CAN BE REFLECTED IN THE STATEMENT BY 
THE KUWAIT ENERGY MINISTER SHEIKH AHMAD, WHO SAID, 
"TODAY WE LOST THE SAGE OF THE ARAB WORLD." 
 
7.  (U) THE U.S. EMBASSY CONDOLENCE STATEMENT MADE THE 
DEADLINE FOR THE GULF NEWS, AL-ITTIHAD, AND AL-KHALEEJ 
NEWSPAPERS.  IN FACT, OUR STATEMENT WAS THE ONLY 
FOREIGN EMBASSY STATEMENT PUBLISHED.  IN THE SEMI- 
GOVERNMENT AL-ITTIHAD (CIRCULATION 66,000), THE 
STATEMENT WAS PLACED ON PAGE 2 ALONG WITH THE OFFICIAL 
NOTICE OF THE MOURNING PERIOD.  IN GULF NEWS 
(CIRCULATION 95,000) IT APPEARED AT THE TOP OF PAGE 4. 
SECRETARY POWELL'S STATEMENT WAS PROMINENTLY MENTIONED 
 
SIPDIS 
BY ABU DHABI TV. 
 
IN THE INTERIM 
---------------- 
 
8. (C)  ACCORDING TO ARTICLE 53 OF THE UAE 
CONSTITUTION, VICE PRESIDENT MAKTOUM BIN RASHID AL 
MAKTOUM (TITULAR RULER OF DUBAI, WHO NORMALLY SPENDS 
MUCH OF HIS TIME IN THE U.K.) WILL SERVE AS ACTING 
PRESIDENT FOR A PERIOD OF 30 DAYS.  DURING THOSE 30 
DAYS, THE UAE SUPREME COUNCIL, CONSISTING OF THE SEVEN 
RULERS OF THE SEVEN EMIRATES, SHOULD MEET TO ELECT A 
NEW PRESIDENT.  WHILE MAKTOUM WILL BE THE TITULAR 
PRESIDENT, REAL DECISION-MAKING POWER WILL LIE WITH 
THE NEW RULER OF ABU DHABI, SHEIKH KHALIFA, WHO WILL 
LIKELY CONSULT CLOSELY WITH CROWN PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN 
ZAYED, HIS OTHER BROTHERS, AND WITH RULERS OF THE 
OTHER EMIRATES (ESPECIALLY DUBAI'S DE FACTO RULER, 
SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL-MAKTOUM). 
SISON 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3 Nov UAE Feeling of Zayed's Passing           UNCLASSIFIED