US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI2782

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 002782 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR DRL, NEA/PI, NEA/ARPI, AND NEA/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, KWMN, MEPI, TC 
SUBJECT: NO PLAN TO OPEN COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP TO WOMEN THIS YEAR 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: DESPITE PRESS REPORTS THAT THE UAE'S 
APPOINTED REPRESENTATIVE BODY, THE FEDERAL NATIONAL COUNCIL 
(FNC), MIGHT BE OPENING ITS MEMBERSHIP TO WOMEN, FNC SECRETARY 
GENERAL MOHAMMED AL MAZROUIE TOLD POL CHIEF JUNE 14 THAT THERE 
WAS NO TIMELINE FOR HAVING WOMEN JOIN THE FNC BY THE TIME OF 
THE NEXT SESSION IN NOVEMBER 2005.  HE CONFIRMED, HOWEVER, THAT 
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF EFFORTS UNDER WAY TO PREPARE WOMEN FOR 
POLITICAL LIFE, AND THAT WOMEN'S MEMBERSHIP IN THE FNC WAS 
"INEVITABLE."  HOWEVER, A MORE IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT WOULD BE 
TO GIVE THE FNC MORE LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY, AL MAZROUIE SAID, 
ECHOING WHAT UAE ACADEMICS AND SOME FNC MEMBERS HAVE TOLD 
EMBASSY OFFICERS IN RECENT YEARS.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (SBU) ON JUNE 14, POL CHIEF AND POL ASSISTANT CALLED ON FNC 
SECRETARY GENERAL AL MAZROUIE TO DISCUSS THE POSSIBILITY THAT 
 
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THE FNC MIGHT EXPAND ITS MEMBERSHIP TO WOMEN, AS WELL AS THE 
ROLE OF THE FNC IN TRAINING UAE WOMEN TO SERVE IN POLITICAL 
LIFE.  AL MAZROUIE SAID THAT THERE IS NO PLAN FOR HAVING WOMEN 
BECOME FNC MEMBERS WHEN THE NEW SESSION CONVENES IN NOVEMBER 
2005.  HOWEVER, AL MAZROUIE SAID THAT HE HAD GIVEN A LECTURE AT 
THE GENERAL WOMEN'S UNION (GWU) IN 2004 ON THE TOPIC OF THE 
FNC'S ROLE, AND THAT SOME UAE WOMEN HAD ATTENDED FNC SESSIONS 
ON OCCASION TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE BODY'S PROCEEDINGS.  HE 
SAID THAT UAE WOMEN STILL HAVE "MUCH TO LEARN" ABOUT THE FNC. 
WITHIN FIVE YEARS, HE ADDED, IT IS "INEVITABLE" THAT MEMBERSHIP 
WOULD BE OPEN TO WOMEN.  THE CONSTITUTION ALLOWS WOMEN TO JOIN 
THE FNC, HE SAID, NOTING THAT THERE WERE A NUMBER OF UAE WOMEN 
CAPABLE OF JOINING THE PARLIAMENT.  SHEIKHA FATIMA, WIFE OF THE 
LATE PRESIDENT SHEIKH ZAYED AND PRESIDENT OF GWU, A VOCAL 
PROPONENT FOR WOMEN, LIKEWISE DID NOT GIVE A TIMELINE FOR UAE 
WOMEN JOINING THE FNC WHEN THE AMBASSADOR CALLED ON HER JUNE 13 
AND SPECIFICALLY ASKED ABOUT THIS ISSUE.  (NOURA AL SUWEIDI WAS 
THERE TOO, BUT MADE NO COMMENT.) 
 
3. (SBU) AL MAZROUIE ALSO SAID THAT ELECTIONS OF MEMBERS TO THE 
FNC WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS "INEVITABLE" IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, 
BUT NOT LIKELY BY NOVEMBER 2005.  AS ONE WHO HAS SERVED IN THE 
CAPACITY OF SECRETARY GENERAL FOR THE PAST 12 YEARS, AL 
MAZROUIE SAID HE BELIEVED THAT WHAT THE FNC NEEDED MOST WAS 
GREATER AUTHORITY TO PROPOSE AND APPROVE LEGISLATION. 
CURRENTLY, THE FNC HAS LITTLE MORE THAN A RUBBER STAMP 
AUTHORITY.  AL MAZROUIE EXPLAINED THAT IT WOULD BE UP TO THE 
SUPREME COUNCIL OF RULERS (COMPRISED OF THE RULERS OF THE SEVEN 
EMIRATES) TO EMPOWER THE FNC. 
 
4. (U) UAE WOMEN ARE POISED TO RECEIVE PARLIAMENTARY TRAINING 
UNDER THE ARAB WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIANS PROJECT UNVEILED DURING A 
MAY 30-31 SYMPOSIUM ORGANIZED BY THE GENERAL WOMEN'S UNION. 
THE PROJECT WILL INCLUDE WOMEN FROM THE UAE AND EIGHT MENA 
COUNTRIES.  THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WILL FUND PARTICIPANTS FROM 
GULF COUNTRIES AND THE SWEDISH GOVERNMENT WILL FUND 
PARTICIPANTS FROM OTHER MENA COUNTRIES.  THE PROGRAM WILL FOCUS 
ON PUBLIC SPEAKING, LOBBYING, AND CREATING POLITICAL ALLIANCES. 
ACCORDING TO PRESS REPORTS, GWU DIRECTOR NOURA AL SUWEIDI TOLD 
SYMPOSIUM PARTICIPANTS THAT THE PROJECT'S GOAL OVER THREE YEARS 
IS TO INCREASE THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN DIFFERENT WALKS OF 
LIFE, INCLUDING POLITICS.  SHE ADDED THAT GWU AND THE FNC HAVE 
BEEN HOLDING SESSIONS FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS TO PREPARE UAE 
WOMEN TO PARTICIPATE IN PARLIAMENTARY WORK.  AL SUWEIDI, UAE 
UNIVERSITY POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR DR. IBTISAM AL KITBI, 
AND HESSA OMRAN, A SENIOR MFA OFFICIAL AND PROTOCOL OFFICER FOR 
THE WIFE OF DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF STATE FOR 
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, SHEIKH HAMDAN BIN ZAYED, ARE AMONG THE WOMEN 
WHO HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO THE PROJECT'S STEERING COMMITTEE, 
ACCORDING TO RUBA AL HASSAN, UNDP PROJECT COORDINATOR. 
 
5. (SBU) COMMENT: OVER THE YEARS, SHEIKHA FATIMA HAS FREQUENTLY 
MADE PUBLIC STATEMENTS CALLING FOR OPENING MEMBERSHIP ON THE 
FNC TO WOMEN, AND THE ARAB WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIANS PROJECT IS 
CERTAINLY A HOPEFUL INITIATIVE IN THIS DIRECTION.  HOWEVER, 
FROM WHAT THE FNC SECGEN IS SAYING, WE WILL NOT WITNESS THESE 
CHANGES THIS YEAR. 
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