US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI3802

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 003802 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, PGOV, TC 
SUBJECT: UAE VIEWS ON CAIRO FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING 
 
REF: A. STATE 163365 
 
     B. DUBAI 3667 
     C. STATE 152459 
     D. STATE 159137 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison, 
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (S) Summary: On September 4, the Ambassador delivered ref 
A demarche on the upcoming Cairo Arab League Foreign 
Ministers meeting during a call on Abdullah Rashid Al Noaimi, 
U/S for Foreign Affairs.  Ambassador reinforced USG views on 
terrorism, Israel-Palestine, Syria-Lebanon and Iraq.  Al 
Noaimi noted that these topics would be discussed at both the 
GCC Ministerial in Jeddah on September 5 as well as the Arab 
League FM meeting in Cairo.  The UAEG is likely to adopt a 
common GCC stance on a variety of issues in both Jeddah and 
Cairo.  Al Noaimi agreed that all nations should work 
together to discredit terrorist/extremist messages.  He 
expressed regret over "politicization" of the Magen David 
Adom issue.  Al Noaimi complained that the Arab world needed 
to rid itself of "old think" on the Israel-Palestine issue. 
He mentioned the possibility that the Arab League Foreign 
Ministers would issue "a middle of the road" statement on the 
Iraqi constitution.  He also acknowledged that the UN and UAE 
had common goals on Syria and conceded that Bashar had "not 
done enough."  End Summary. 
 
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Terrorism 
--------- 
 
2. (C) Ambassador urged the UAEG to use the GCC Ministerial 
and Arab League FM meetings as opportunities to issue strong 
condemnations of terrorism. (NOTE: Al Noaimi's father, Rashid 
Abdullah Al Noaimi, UAE Foreign Minister, will lead the UAE 
delegations in both Jeddah and Cairo.  End Note.)  Praising 
UAEG's grassroots work against terrorism, including strong 
sermons condemning terrorism and extremism following the 
Sharm Al Sheikh and London attacks, Ambassador stressed the 
importance of support for the draft UN Comprehensive 
Convention on Terrorism.  Al Noaimi responded that until 
recently, UAE nationals had continued to think of terrorists 
as isolated, disaffected groups.  The London bombings had 
been a great shock.  He stated that UAEG must reexamine the 
causes for terrorism and would go to the source in rooting it 
out. 
 
---------------- 
Israel-Palestine 
---------------- 
 
3. (S) Ambassador complimented UAEG on its sizeable aid to 
the Palestinians, noting the Sheikh Zayed City building 
project in Gaza, while pointing out that Palestinian needs 
remained enormous.  She urged that a strong commitment to 
increased assistance to the Palestinians through the Arab 
League would be especially welcome.  Al Noaimi stated that 
UAEG at one time provided cash grants to the Palestinians, 
but noticing a lack of "trickle down," now prefers to assist 
through specific development projects such as the 100 million 
dollar Sheikh Khalifa residential city complex project. 
 
4. (S) Ambassador pressed U/S on UAEG support for resolving 
the issue of Israel's Magen David Adom membership in the 
International Red Cross/Red Crescent.  Al Noaimi responded 
that humanitarian issues "should not be politicized."  He 
added that the UAE would have no comment on press reports 
(UAE daily Al Khaleej quoting Israel's "Ha'aretz") about 
Israeli delegation presence in Dubai.  (Note:  On September 5 
"The Gulf Today" ran a front-page article from WAM, the UAEG 
news agency, denying the Israeli press report regarding an 
official Israeli presence in the UAE.   The article quotes 
unnamed MFA official stating that the UAE continues to comply 
with the Arab Peace Initiative which links normalization of 
ties with Israel to the recognition of Israel.  See ref B for 
details on the launching of CIDAC, Israel's Dubai trade 
office.  End note.) 
 
5. (S) Al Noaimi elaborated that the UAE did not need to have 
its trade and foreign policy dictated by the Arab League.  He 
complained that we "need to get rid of the old minds," 
observing that "old think" -- through Egyptian and Syrian 
journalists "and other non-Emiratis" -- still dominates the 
UAE and Arab media.  When Abu Mazen and Sharon were meeting 
face-to-face, who were these journalists to criticize those 
who wished to move forward? 
 
---- 
Iraq 
---- 
 
6. (S) Ambassador asked UAEG to use its influence to urge a 
public statement from the Arab League applauding Iraqi 
success in completing a draft constitution.  Al Noaimi agreed 
that the foreign fighters must go and said that the UAEG does 
not want to see factional strife in Iraq, commenting:  "It is 
no time for Iraqi leaders to be playing with fire."  Al 
Noaimi indicated that he was well aware of the joint US-UK 
demarche urging Arab governments to give public support for 
the Iraqi constitution, noting, "we must awaken the 
leadership to their future."  Al Noaimi added that it was 
possible the Arab Foreign Ministers would issue a "middle of 
the road" statement on the Iraqi constitution. 
 
7. (S) Al Noaimi said that the message that the UAEG wants to 
send the Sunni leadership in Iraq is that federalism does not 
mean division, as long as the framework is established and 
the boundaries are set.  He noted that UAEG lived with a 
provisional constitution for 20 years and prospered under it, 
adding that he didn't know why the Iraqis need "a solid 
block" from the beginning.  Constitutions could be amended as 
needed.  "Federalism has been healthy for us," he added. 
Ambassador suggested that the message on the benefits of 
federalism would best be delivered if UAEG had its own 
ambassador in Iraq.  (UAE is now represented at the Charge 
d'Affaires level.)  Al Noaimi argued that current security 
concerns precluded installation of a UAE ambassador in 
Baghdad, but that the MFA would have a full mission when the 
situation permits.  He acknowledged that Sheikh Hamdan, UAEG 
Deputy PM and MinState Foreign Affairs, had met with former 
Iraq PM Iyad Allawi in Morocco last week but offered no 
further information on the meeting. 
 
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Syria-Lebanon 
------------- 
 
8. (S) Ambassador underscored that all nations should focus 
on "isolation, not engagement" vis-a-vis Syria.  She stressed 
that the UN Summit would be an opportunity for the 
international community to reinforce concerns over Syria's 
support for the insurgency in Iraq, its interference in the 
internal affairs of Lebanon, its failure to expel Palestinian 
terrorists, and its poor human rights record.  She argued 
that denying Syria the opportunity to use the UNGA summit as 
a platform for its own agenda will send a message that the 
international community is steadfast in its demands for 
change, ref D.  Al Noaimi responded that the UAEG prefers an 
approach which would help President Bashar Al Asad free 
himself of the "old guard" which surrounds him, rather than 
to isolate him.  Ambassador repeated that isolation, not 
engagement, is the best way to send the clearest, most direct 
message that support of Iraqi insurgents and interference in 
Lebanon will not be tolerated.  Since it appears that the 
UAEG will engage Syria at UNGA, Ambassador urged the UAEG to 
use the opportunity to convey the message that Syria's 
behavior is not acceptable.  Al Noaimi acknowledged common 
USG-UAEG goals and conceded that Bashar Al Asad has "not done 
enough." 
 
------------------ 
HLE, Reform Issues 
------------------ 
 
9. (S) Ambassador noted that the USG would continue to work 
under UNGA President Jean Ping's leadership to facilitate the 
UN reform process.  She also commented on the positive 
political developments underway in Iraq, Lebanon, and Egypt, 
citing the need for free and competitive elections as a 
central component of political reform, and reiterated US 
support of UAEG's moves in this direction.  In an August 15 
meeting with the Secretary, Sheikh Hamdan had stated that the 
UAE was on the threshold of major developments including the 
announcement of municipal and Federal National Council 
elections, she reminded Al Noaimi.  He acknowledged that it 
was important that the UAE move forward in these areas. 
 
SISON