US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI2945

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ABU DHABI 002945 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, KMPI, KPAL, PHUM, IZ, IR, SY, WE, GZ, TC 
SUBJECT: PDAS CHENEY MEETS WITH UAE PRESIDENT KHALIFA 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR MICHELE J. SISON, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). 
 
1. (C) Summary: During a meeting June 26 with NEA Principal 
Deputy Assistant Secretary Cheney, UAE President Khalifa bin 
Zayed Al Nahyan offered his assessment of the situation in 
Iraq, commented on the Iranian elections and discussed 
Syria's involvement in the region, reform in the UAE, and 
efforts to end human trafficking.  Khalifa also expressed the 
UAE's continued support for the Palestinian people, as well 
as for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a position Cheney 
said the U.S. shared.  Cheney encouraged the Emiratis to 
pursue political, educational and social reform and to take 
positive steps to eliminate human trafficking.  Khalifa said 
it would take time to adopt reforms, but welcomed U.S. 
proposals and cooperation on these issues.  He emphasized 
that his government was committed to stopping the trafficking 
of underage camel jockeys.  End Summary. 
 
2. (C) NEA Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Cheney called 
on UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed June 26.  During a 
cordial exchange, President Khalifa recalled that their 
fathers, Vice President Cheney and the late Sheikh Zayed, had 
known each other.  PDAS Cheney noted that Sheikh Zayed had 
been a long-time friend of the United States and said she was 
honored to bring greetings to President Khalifa from the 
President, the Vice President, and the Secretary.  President 
Khalifa said the UAE appreciated the historical friendly 
relationship and looked forward to pursuing the development 
of U.S.-UAE cooperation.  Cheney saluted the UAEG for its 
cooperation on Afghanistan and Iraq, counterterrorism and the 
Mideast peace process.  She also thanked the UAEG for its 
support for the Palestinian people.  President Khalifa said 
it was vitally important to cooperate in the fight against 
terrorism, and on Iraq and Afghanistan. 
 
3. (C) President Khalifa and PDAS Cheney continued their 
discussion in an adjacent parlor in a smaller group, 
including the Deputy Prime Minister and MinState for Foreign 
Affairs Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh 
Sultan bin Zayed, Minister of Presidential Affairs Sheikh 
Mansour bin Zayed, the Ruler's Representative for the Eastern 
Region of Abu Dhabi Emirate Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohammed, UAE 
Ambassador to the U.S. Al Asri Al Dhahri, and the Ambassador. 
 In the smaller meeting, Cheney and President Khalifa 
discussed a range of issues and Cheney noted the UAE would 
warmly welcome a visit by President Khalifa to the United 
States. 
 
IRAQ 
---- 
 
4. (C) During the smaller meeting, President Khalifa said he 
mourned the loss of American servicemen, Coalition partners, 
and Iraqi security forces in fighting the insurgency in Iraq. 
 Khalifa questioned the disbanding of the Iraqi armed forces 
and police, and noted that one of the consequences was that 
former members of Iraq's military and police forces were now 
terrorists.  He said that this policy had made Iraq much more 
"chaotic" as well as an attractive place for terrorists from 
neighboring countries.  Cheney responded that the violence in 
Iraq was being caused by individuals, Iraqis and foreign 
fighters, who do not want the Iraqi people to live in 
freedom.  She noted the tremendous progress being made by the 
Iraqis in establishing a new government and training their 
own security forces.  She welcomed the UAE's involvement in 
this training, and noted that the USG and Prime Minister 
Ja'afri had been very pleased with the international support 
shown for Iraq during the recent Brussels conference. 
Khalifa agreed that it was important for the international 
community to support the Iraqi government, and said it was 
also important for the Iraqis to ensure stability and secure 
the new political regime. 
 
5. (C) PDAS Cheney asked for President Khalifa's views on the 
roles of Syria and Iran in Iraq's internal affairs.  Khalifa 
said that he was not certain whether Syria had facilitated 
infiltration into Iraq or if the border was simply too long 
to patrol effectively.  But, the Syrians he noted were making 
life difficult.  Cheney said that Syria's efforts to 
destabilize its neighbors, including Damascus' support for 
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and terrorists in Iraq, 
were troubling to the international community, and that the 
Palestinians, Lebanese, and Iraqis had all asked Damascus to 
stop this activity.  President Khalifa said Iran was doing 
the same, adding that Iran was an unstable country in its own 
right and it did not want to have stable neighbors. 
 
6. (C) Cheney also briefed Khalifa on the recent U.S.-EU 
Conference on Iraq in Brussels.  Khalifa agreed that 
international support was crucial to Iraq's future security, 
prosperity, and stability. 
 
IRAN 
---- 
 
7. (C) Commenting on Iran's presidential elections and the 
victory by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President Khalifa told PDAS 
Cheney that the conduct of the elections was questionable and 
that the results may have been falsified.  Perhaps, Khalifa 
opined, Rafsanjani's loss at the polls was "what the regime 
(in Iran) wanted."  Rafsanjani had made diplomatic, 
conciliatory gestures toward the West to resolve disputes, he 
said.  Other than the fact that Ahmadinejad had served as 
mayor of Tehran, Iran's president-elect was "unknown on the 
international stage" and little known to the UAEG, Khalifa 
said.  However, he commented that it did not matter who was 
elected president in Iran because "real power" in Iran lies 
with the religious leadership, the "so-called guides of the 
revolution." 
 
ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT FOR THE PALESTINIANS 
------------------------------------------- 
 
8. (C) President Khalifa and PDAS Cheney also discussed 
international efforts to assist the Palestinians.  Cheney 
said that in addition to its other ongoing assistance, the 
U.S. would be providing $50 million to the Palestinian 
Authority for projects in Gaza as part of Quartet Special 
Envoy for Gaza Disengagement Wolfensohn's $100 million fund 
raising effort.  She said that Wolfensohn would be invited to 
the G-8 Summit at Glen Eagles to brief the G-8 leaders on his 
plans.  She also noted that he would be returning to the West 
Bank and Gaza July 8, and that A/S Welch would also be 
traveling to the region then for discussions with the 
Israelis and Palestinians.  Cheney also pointed to ongoing 
coordination efforts between the USG and the PA to ensure 
funds are directed to immediate needs in the Palestinian 
area.  Khalifa welcomed the briefing and said the UAE was 
"fully committed" to decisions taken at various summit 
conferences regarding assistance for the Palestinians, and 
that the UAE also would continue its bilateral assistance 
program with the Palestinian Authority, a recent example of 
which was the construction of the Sheikh Zayed City in Gaza. 
 
9. (C) Khalifa also told Cheney that Mahmoud Abbas had called 
him after his June 21 meeting with Prime Minister Sharon to 
say that the first talks between the Israeli and Palestinian 
leaders in over four months had not gone as well as he had 
hoped, but that they "accomplished a few things."  Khalifa 
described Mahmoud Abbas as "a friend to all, including Arab 
countries and the U.S."  He added that he viewed Mahmoud 
Abbas as a "key figure" and "a man of moderation."   Cheney 
said the U.S. appreciated this and agreed that it was 
important to support Mahmoud Abbas.  The U.S. would devote 
"time and effort" to demonstrate that support. 
 
REFORM, TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 
------------------------------ 
 
10. (C) PDAS Cheney then shifted the conversation to 
bilateral concerns, and noted that the USG welcomed and was 
grateful for the critical cooperation with the UAE in 
Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, 
counter-terrorism, and a range of other issues.  She briefed 
President Khalifa on Secretary Rice's recent trip to the 
region, including her speech in Cairo on reform issues. 
Cheney praised UAE,s efforts on education reform and said 
she was pleased with her visits to the all-women,s Zayed 
University campus and the Abu Dhabi Men's College (Higher 
College of Technology) in the company of Education Minister 
Sheikh Nahyan.  Cheney said the USG was interested in working 
with the UAE on a range of reform issues, including 
political, economic, educational reform and the empowerment 
of women.  President Khalifa said the UAE was moving ahead 
with reform and development, but told Cheney that the U.S. 
was hundreds of years ahead of the UAE.  Change would 
therefore take time, he said, but the UAE was trying to do 
its best and would welcome U.S. proposals and cooperation. 
 
11. (C) PDAS Cheney also discussed human trafficking and 
mentioned that she appreciated the government's invitation to 
her to visit one of the two Camel Jockey Rehabilitation 
Centers in Abu Dhabi emirate (septel).  She said she would 
report the steps the UAE is taking to address its trafficking 
problem when she returned to Washington.  Khalifa said the 
UAEG believed that the camel jockey issue reflected the 
plight of desperately poor parents, mostly from Pakistan. 
The UAE was committed to working on the human trafficking 
issue and in rehabilitating the children.  "We will end this 
practice," Khalifa asserted. 
 
12. (U) This message was cleared by PDAS Cheney. 
SISON