US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI2559

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 002559 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, ECON, PK, TC 
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN'S MUSHARRAF ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO THE UAE 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf paid his 
first official visit to the UAE since President Khalifa 
succeeded the late Sheikh Zayed last November.  During the 
June 4-5 visit, the two leaders discussed the war on terror, 
Pakistan's internal political stability, Pakistan's ties with 
Afghanistan, and the situation in Kashmir.  Musharraf 
addressed 1,000 Pakistani expatriates, including dozens of 
laborers, exhorting them not to encourage, or side with, 
forces back home that spread hatred.  Musharraf also 
addressed Pakistani and UAE businessmen, urging them to 
invest in Pakistan,s economy to help address the root causes 
of terrorism and extremism.  End Summary. 
 
2. (C) Pakistan,s President Musharraf paid an official visit 
to the UAE June 4-5.  The visit came three weeks after Abu 
Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Deputy Prime 
Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh 
Hamdan bin Zayed had traveled to Lahore to meet with 
Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.  While in Abu 
Dhabi, Musharraf met with President Khalifa, Abu Dhabi Crown 
Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and most of the UAEG's 
senior leadership.  Musharraf's meetings with Khalifa covered 
the war on terror, Pakistan's internal political stability, 
Pakistan's ties with Afghanistan, and the situation in 
Kashmir, according to MFA sources. 
 
3. (C) MFA Under Secretary Abdullah Rashid Al Noaimi told 
Ambassador June 8 that the UAEG considered Musharraf to be 
"the right man, at the right place, at the right time," and 
added that the UAEG believed that Pakistan needed Musharraf's 
leadership.  Al Noaimi said that the UAEG supported 
Musharraf, politically and financially.  Pakistan and the UAE 
maintain "very good" bilateral relations, a senior Pakistani 
diplomat told Pol Chief June 8.  On the economic side, the 
UAE has stepped up its investments in Pakistan considerably 
($1 billion in the past three years), especially in the 
banking, construction, and telecommunications sectors, he 
noted.  During Musharraf's visit, the two countries agreed to 
exchange trade delegations in the future. 
4. (C) One of Musharraf's principal missions in coming to the 
UAE was to establish a rapport with the UAE's new leadership, 
the senior Pakistani diplomat said.  "President Zayed loved 
Pakistan, and Pakistan loved President Zayed.  When Zayed 
died, Pakistan lost a father figure.  Our President wanted to 
ensure the continuity of that special relationship," the 
diplomat told Pol Chief.  That mission was accomplished, he 
added.  Musharraf's entourage included Foreign Minister 
Khorshed Kasuri, Labor and Manpower Minister Ghulam Sarwar 
Khan, Privatization and Investment Minister Abdul Hafiz 
Sheikh, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Resources 
Mohammed Naseer Mangal, and Minister of State for Water and 
Power Amir Muqam. 
 
5. (C) On June 5, Musharraf met with approximately 1,000 
members of Pakistan's 450,000-strong expatriate community in 
the UAE.  During the meeting, he appealed to his fellow 
citizens not to encourage or side with forces or elements 
back home that spread hatred or indulge in anti-social 
activities.  Musharraf stressed the need to tackle 
sectarianism and extremism, and noted his government's focus 
on education and policies to reduce poverty, control 
unemployment, and improve the economy.  He also explained the 
objectives of the government's security operations in some of 
Pakistan's regions.  Musharraf highlighted the role Pakistani 
expatriates have played in improving the economic situation 
in Pakistan.  He said that their remittances provide an 
important source of foreign exchange in Pakistan.  (Note: In 
the past three years, overseas Pakistanis have remitted $12 
billion to Pakistan, $5 billion of which comes from Pakistani 
expatriates in the Gulf, according to the UAE's official news 
agency.) 
 
6. (C) Musharraf also met with Pakistani and UAE business 
people, urging them to invest in Pakistan's economy.  The 
UAE's official news agency reported that Musharraf told the 
business community Pakistan had succeeded in curbing 
terrorism over the last few years.  "What you see sometimes 
are instances of sectarian violence.  Even so, none of these 
acts has targeted a foreign business," he said.  Pakistan's 
Privatization and Investment Minister Abdul Hafiz Sheikh 
briefed the audience on investment opportunities, 
particularly in the telecommunications sector, now that it is 
being privatized. 
 
7. (U) Musharraf last visited the UAE in November 2004 to 
attend the funeral of the late UAE President Sheikh Zayed. 
He paid his respects at Zayed's tomb during his recent visit. 
SISON