US embassy cable - 04ABUDHABI4260

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NEW ECONOMY MINISTER PRAISES PRIVATE SECTOR

Identifier: 04ABUDHABI4260
Wikileaks: View 04ABUDHABI4260 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Abu Dhabi
Created: 2004-11-28 09:37:00
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
Tags: ERTD ECON EINV TC
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
null
Diana T Fritz  02/05/2007 04:01:01 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Search Results

Cable 
Text:                                                                      
                                                                           
      
C O N F I D E N T I A L        ABU DHABI 04260

SIPDIS
CXABU:
    ACTION: ECON
    INFO:   P/M AMB DCM POL

DISSEMINATION: ECON
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: AMB:MJSISON
DRAFTED: ECON:OBJOHN
CLEARED: AMB

VZCZCADI778
OO RUEHC RUCPDOC RHEHNSC
DE RUEHAD #4260 3330937
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 280937Z NOV 04
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6938
INFO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 004260 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EB 
STATE FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, NEA/PI 
STATE ALSO PASS USTR FOR CATHY NOVELLI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/27/2014 
TAGS: ERTD, ECON, EINV, TC 
SUBJECT: NEW ECONOMY MINISTER PRAISES PRIVATE SECTOR 
 
 
 CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR MICHELE J. SISON FOR REASONS 1.4 (B 
AND D) 
 
 
1. (C) Ambassador called on Sheikha Lubna Al-Qasimi, the New 
Minister of Economy and Planning, on November 27 to 
congratulate her on assuming her role as the first UAE woman 
cabinet member.  Sheikha Lubna commented that, in her view, 
the cabinet shake up reflected the UAEG's effort to bring in 
private sector blood into the government, noting that she and 
the new ministers of Communications and Energy had all come 
from the private sector.  The fact that UAE President Zayed 
had appointed her (in one of his last official actions) was 
especially important to her. 
 
2. (C) Sheikha Lubna noted that she thought the role of 
government was to make &good regulations to empower the 
private sector.8  Sheikha Lubna said that she remains on the 
board of Thunderbird School of Management and a member of the 
American Business Council, although she will step down from 
her active role as CEO of Tegairi.com, an online 
business-to-business market place.  Her ministry's focus 
would be to ensure that the UAE is ready to face the 
challenge of globalization.  In fact, her first ministerial 
visit will be to Doha December 5-6 to participate in a G-77 
conference on trade and investment issues. 
 
3. (SBU) Ambassador and Sheikha Lubna discussed the UAEG,s 
proposal to send a working level team to Washington to meet 
with key business and Congressional leaders on UAE,s desire 
to pursue an FTA with the United States.  In Sheikha Lubna,s 
view, the UAEG needed to reach out aggressively to the USG 
and also to its own business community on the FTA.  She noted 
that the UAE Agencies Law was a sensitive issue for the UAEG, 
adding that some of the established local agents would be 
opposed to any change.  She suggested that the USG look at a 
transition period for established agency agreements and not 
push to resolve this issue in the first negotiating round. 
Ambassador also briefed the Minister on the Arab League 
Boycott case of Netafim USA and emphasized that this was an 
issue that needed to be solved. 
 
4. (C) Comment:  Sheikha Lubna will be an excellent addition 
to the UAEG cabinet.  She has an aggressively pro-free 
market/pro-free trade view, as well as a close working 
relationship with the US mission.  Her first official actions 
have been to issue decrees setting up the new &International 
Real Estate Development Company,8 a private joint stock 
company, and the new &Arab Technical Construction Company,8 
a public joint stock company on November 27. End Comment. 
 
SISON 

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