US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI1155

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001155 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, PHUM, TC 
SUBJECT: UAE PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR ON POLITICAL REFORM, 
CAMEL JOCKEYS (CORRECTED COPY) 
 
REF: ABU DHABI 1002 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary: Minister for Presidential Affairs Sheikh 
Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan told Ambassador March 12 that Abu 
Dhabi will begin consultations with leaders in the western 
part of the emirate about broadening political participation 
through representative municipal councils.  When the 
Ambassador urged rapid UAEG action to enforce the existing 
ban on the use of trafficked underage camel jockeys, Sheikh 
Mansour said that President Khalifa viewed the trafficking 
issue as an embarrassment to the UAE, and that both the UAE 
Interior and Labor ministers had promised to have a law in 
place by April.  However, Sheikh Mansour said it would be 
difficult to end the controversial practice by the time of 
the season-ending camel race at Al Wathba Camel Racetrack 
(just outside the capital) in two weeks.  End Summary. 
 
2. (C) The Ambassador opened the meeting by commenting on the 
initiatives being undertaken by the new UAE Cabinet in the 
four months since President Khalifa took office, including a 
plan to inject $405 million worth of infrastructure 
improvements into the northern emirates.  Sheikh Mansour said 
the president would be visiting the northern emirates in 
about two weeks, his first official visit there since taking 
over from his father. 
 
Broadening Political Representation 
----------------------------------- 
 
3. (C) In light of public discussion about the creation of 
municipal councils in Sharjah and Ajman emirates, and the 
possibility of future elections to the Sharjah councils 
(reftel), the Ambassador asked Sheikh Mansour for his views 
about the pace of broadening political representation 
elsewhere in the UAE.  &We,re working on that,8 Mansour 
replied.  He said Abu Dhabi Executive Council member Khaldoon 
bin Mubarak would be Abu Dhabi emirate,s point person 
responsible for discussing this issue with local leaders and 
tribes.  &We will start with the western area8 of Abu Dhabi 
emirate, Mansour explained, ticking off the towns of Ruwais, 
Mirfa, and Medina Zayed.  He said that he had talked to his 
brother, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed 
(MbZ), about whether to announce this publicly, and that MbZ 
had agreed to do so.  &We will announce something soon,8 
Mansour said, although he quickly clarified that he meant 
more than a few weeks.  &We have to do it in a good way for 
our people,8 and that will require (civic) education, he 
added. 
 
4. (C) Sheikh Mansour said the concept of representational 
government (he did not use the word elections) would be 
introduced emirate-by-emirate, and the effort would be 
&cooperative.8  Ambassador asked whether it would extend to 
the Federal National Council, whose members are appointed at 
present by the rulers of each emirate.  Mansour said the UAE 
would start with the municipal councils. 
 
Trafficking in Camel Jockeys 
---------------------------- 
 
5. (C) The Ambassador then raised the camel jockey issue with 
Mansour, saying that trafficking in persons had been 
discussed during the course of FTA deliberations March 8-10 
with Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid (MbR), 
Minister of Economy Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of 
Information Sheikh Abdullah, and Finance MinState Kharbash. 
The Ambassador then showed Mansour a copy of the March 10 
sports section from Arabic daily &Al Bayan8 that carried an 
article and photographs of the March 9 Nad Al Sheba camel 
race in Dubai.  Photos showed MbR and his older brother, 
Finance Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, watching the races 
from their vehicles.  When the Ambassador pointed to the 
photo depicting very young jockeys racing at the event, 
Mansour replied, &I agree with you 100 percent.  It,s not 
some of them; it,s all of them8 who were under-age.  (Note: 
President Khalifa, Sheikh Mansour, and other Abu Dhabi 
leaders had attended MbR,s luncheon at Nad Al Sheba, but had 
skipped the actual race.) 
 
6. (C) Mansour proceeded to describe what actions the UAEG 
would be taking in the near future to address the TIP issue. 
He said that Interior Minister Sheikh Saif bin Zayed and 
Labor Minister Dr. Ali Al Ka,abi had &promised us a law8 
banning the use of children as camel jockeys.  The new law, 
which would enforce an existing ban on trafficked camel 
jockeys, would be in place by April.  (Comment: This is what 
we have heard repeatedly from these same officials in earlier 
meetings.  We have not seen the draft legislation.  End 
comment.)  Sheikh Mansour said that President Khalifa had 
spoken to Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and 
facto Foreign Minister (and UAE Camel Racing Federation 
chairman) and instructed him not to allow these children to 
enter the country.  &It is embarrassing for our 
government,8 Mansour said. 
7. (C) While Sheikh Mansour pledged that the new law would be 
in place in a matter of three to four weeks, he said that he 
could not promise the Ambassador that the UAEG could take 
action to stop the practice of using under-age children as 
camel jockeys by the time of the season-ending race that will 
be held in two weeks at the Al Wathba Camel Racetrack a few 
miles outside the capital.  &That would be a very hard 
job,8 he said, referring to the difficulty of enforcing the 
existing camel jockey ban without a law on the books. 
 
8. (C) The Ambassador noted that with all the positive 
developments in the U.S.-UAE relationship, the camel jockey 
issue remained &a large ink blot on the UAE,s white page of 
progress.8  She underscored the importance of the UAEG 
enacting and enforcing the draft law banning the trafficking 
and exploitation of minors for sport, and urged UAEG action 
on repatriations/reintegration of boys trafficked for this 
purpose. 
SISON