US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI1167

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ABU DHABI 001167 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS TO USTR 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2015 
TAGS: PREL, ETRD, ELAB, PHUM, TC 
SUBJECT: UAE ANNOUNCES CAMEL JOCKEY LAW IN EFFECT BY MARCH 
31 
 
REF: A. STATE 31467 
 
     B. ABU DHABI 507 
     C. ABU DHABI 663 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.    (C) Summary: After weeks of lobbying by the Ambassador, 
Deputy Prime Minister and de facto Foreign Foreign Minister 
Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed (HbZ) issued a statement March 13 
announcing that a law will be on the books by April 16, 2005 
banning jockeys under age 16 from participating in camel 
races.  On March 14, the UAEG issued a new statement revising 
the effective date of the law to March 31 (coinciding with 
the last day of the TIP reporting year, a date which the 
Ambassador had discussed with key UAE leaders).  The law will 
stipulate that the jockeys' weight must not be less than 45 
kilograms.  A medical committee will conduct tests on all 
jockeys as part of the pre-race handicapping.  HbZ called on 
camel breeders who employ underage children as jockeys to 
return them to their countries.  He also instructed the UAE's 
ports of entry to ensure that no underage children enter the 
country for the purpose of being used as camel jockeys. 
 
2.    (C) Summary continued:  The Government announcement of 
the law follows expressions of commitment by the UAE 
leadership over the past several weeks to eliminate the 
trafficking and abuse of young boys as camel jockeys.  This 
commitment and the announcement of this law are positive, but 
progress on eliminating the problem has been slow.  Drawing 
from Ref A demarche, Ambassador has underlined to a number of 
key UAE leaders that visible progress needs to be seen on the 
issue of underaged boys being trafficked into the UAE for 
camel races and that a formal agreement with the IOM needs to 
be signed.  UAEG officials state that their goal is to have 
eliminated the practice in time for the 2005/2006 racing 
season.  We have made very clear with our Emirati 
interlocutors that the UAE risks a Tier 3 assessment in the 
next TIP report.  End Summary 
 
3.    (C) On March 13, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of 
State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed issued a 
statement announcing that a law will be on the books by April 
16, 2005 banning jockeys under age 16 from participating in 
camel races.  The government issued a new statement on March 
14 revising the effective date of the law to March 31, 
coinciding with the final day of the USG TIP reporting year. 
HbZ warned that those who violated the law would face legal 
action, and that the Ministry of Interior would enforce the 
law in cooperation with the municipalities.  The law also 
will stipulate that the jockeys' weight must not be less than 
45 kilograms.  A medical committee will conduct tests on all 
jockeys as part of the pre-race handicapping.  HbZ called on 
camel breeders who employ underage children as jockeys to 
return them to their countries.  He also instructed the UAE's 
ports of entry to ensure that no underage children enter the 
country for the purpose of being used as camel jockeys.  "The 
(federal) Cabinet is keen to keep the camel racing sport 
clean and in conformity with efforts to preserve traditions 
and heritage, and to strengthen social bonds among citizens," 
HbZ said.  He urged owners of racing camels to fully comply 
with the law, adding that President Sheikh Khalifa and Vice 
President and Prime Minister Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid of 
Dubai had issued oral directives emphasizing the strict 
enforcement of the law. 
 
4.    (C) In an effort to move the UAEG, Ambassador has 
vigorously expressed USG concerns on the continued 
trafficking of minors for exploitation as camel jockeys and 
delivered Ref A points with an emphasis on the need for 
immediate action in a series of conversations during the 
period February 24-March 12 with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince 
Mohammed bin Zayed, Interior Minister Saif bin Zayed, 
Presidential Affairs Minister Mansour bin Zayed, Information 
Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, Economy Minister Lubna 
Al-Qasimi, Labor Minister Dr. Ali bin Abdullah Al Ka'abi, Min 
State Finance Khirbash, Ras Al Khaimah Crown Prince, and MFA 
U/S Abdullah Rashid.  All acknowledged the problem of 
underage foreign children working as camel jockeys and 
stressed UAEG commitment to enact federal legislation this 
spring that would outlaw the practice.  The issue was again 
raised during a March 12 call on Dubai Crown Prince Mohammed 
bin Rashid by Ambassador, AUSTR Novelli, and CG Dubai.  MbR 
noted that he did not believe that the issues could be 
handled in an emirate-by-emirate basis and that there needed 
to be a federal solution.  In each of these conversations, we 
have urged that the UAE authorities take action to care for 
the children involved in the camel racing industry, including 
those observed by USG visitors at Dubai's Nad al Sheba 
racetrack.  We have also emphasized the need for a formal 
mechanism to repatriate foreign victims of trafficking and 
suggested that a formal agreement with IOM might be explored. 
 (Note:  MFA U/S Abdullah Rashid informed Ambassador that the 
UAE was interested in working with IOM but would wait to sign 
an MOU with the organization until after a new UAE 
anti-trafficking law was promulgated.) 
 
5.    (C) Information Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed 
(AbZ) has told us that Dubai, and in particular, Deputy Ruler 
and (titular) federal Minister of Finance Sheikh Hamdan bin 
Rashid (HbR) has been "the major obstacle" to implementing 
the plan.  HbR is a patron of traditional races featuring 
young camels that cannot support the weight of adult jockeys; 
he has been dead-set against implementing the weight 
requirement.  Sheikh Mansour told Ambassador March 12 that 
Interior Minister Sheikh Saif and HbZ (UAE Camel Racing 
Federation President) had met with HbR last week to impress 
on him the need to eliminate the use of underage camel 
jockeys. 
 
6.    (C) Sheikh Abdullah told the Ambassador that Abu Dhabi 
would press ahead with plans to eliminate the abuse of 
underage jockeys even if the Emirate of Dubai tried to block 
implementation of the legislation.  In such a case, he said 
that Abu Dhabi would ban the practice and that the ban would 
become de facto law in the other emirates because of Abu 
Dhabi's influence.  He said that Abu Dhabi (the wealthiest of 
the seven emirates) funds most of the prizes for races in the 
other emirates except Dubai, and that if the races do not 
comply with the law, they would not receive prize money from 
Abu Dhabi. 
 
7.    (C) Minister of Labor Dr. Al Ka'abi told Ambassador and 
visiting A/USTR Novelli on March 10 to expect an announcement 
"in the next week" on the plan to eliminate underage camel 
jockeys.  Al Ka'abi stated that the UAEG had already stopped 
the entry of new jockeys into the UAE.  He said the plan will 
include implementation of track weighing stations, enforcing 
the age 15 minimum for camel jockeys, rehabilitation centers 
and hospitals, a database to encourage repatriation, and 
identification cards certifying the camel jockey's age.  The 
Ministry of Interior will focus renewed attention on existing 
plans including requiring individual, rather than family, 
passports, DNA testing at airports to establish parentage of 
children entering the UAE, and preventing work visas for 
children under 18 (already a law).  Other enforcement 
mechanisms will include penalties for parents who knowingly 
commit their children to work as camel jockeys, employers of 
the camel jockeys, and traffickers.  These individuals will 
face charges including reckless endangerment of children, 
illegally employing minors, and bringing illegal aliens into 
the country.  (Note:  Human rights NGO activist Ansar Burney 
informed Poloff that he had met with Al Ka'abi at the 
Minister's request to discuss approaches for eliminating the 
problem.  Al Ka'abi said that the government wanted to round 
up the young jockeys and return them to their home countries 
and families as quickly as possible.  Ansar Burney, however, 
urged the Minister not to do this, but to commit to 
rehabilitating them in shelters and working with NGOs and 
source countries to repatriate them gradually.  End Note) 
 
8.    (C) On March 12, Minister for Presidential Affairs 
Sheikh Mansour frankly acknowledged to Ambassador that "all 
the boys" at Dubai's end-of-season race March 9 were 
underage.  However, he also admitted that Dubai was not the 
only problem spot, noting that the federal Government would 
"not be able to prevent" the use of underage boys at Abu 
Dhabi Emirate's end-of-season race at Al-Wathba Racetrack in 
two weeks.  However, he said that the Interior and Labor 
Ministers had promised to have a law criminalizing this 
trafficking ready in 3 to 4 weeks.  Sheikh Mansour noted that 
the federal leadership is against the use of underage 
children as camel jockeys, and that President Khalifa had 
called the practice "embarrassing for our government."  He 
said that Khalifa has instructed the Interior Minister to 
stop young boys who were potential trafficking victims from 
entering the country. 
 
9.    (C) Comment:  This Ambassador has repeatedly reiterated 
to the UAE leadership the need for action to eliminate the 
trafficking and abuse of underage camel jockeys ) not just 
words.  The announcement of the new law is clearly timed to 
respond to our warnings.  UAEG officials have told us they 
are developing an implementation plan and are consulting with 
NGOs.  However, they have also clearly acknowledged that the 
practice will continue through the end of this year's racing 
season (which will take place before March 31).  We will 
continue to urge all high level interlocutors to press ahead 
with the law and to take prompt action on other steps 
recommended Ref. A, and to note the impending risk of Tier 3 
designation.  These points will be reiterated during the 
March 18-21 visit by Department of Labor Deputy U/S Arnold 
Levine.  We also shared Ref. A demarche points with UAE 
Ambassador to the U.S. Al Asri Al Dhari and his economic 
counselor, Reem al Hashemi, both of whom were in Abu Dhabi 
for the FTA negotiations.  End comment. 
SISON