US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI3883

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ABU DHABI 003883 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR R (KHUGHES AND DPOWELL), IIP (FELDMAN AND PETERS), 
NEA/ARPI, NEA/PPD AND NEA/P 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, OEXC, SCUL, PTER, XF, TC 
SUBJECT: UAE 9/11 COMMEMORATION:  "WE MUST ALL STAND UNITED" 
 
REF: STATE 161551 
 
1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Embassy Abu Dhabi held a ceremony 
commemorating the fourth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and 
honoring the memory of those from eighty-two countries who 
lost their lives on September 11.  UAE senior officials from 
the Presidency, and Ministries of Justice and Islamic 
Affairs, Information and Foreign Affairs attended as well as 
the diplomatic corps, including ambassadors from 25 Muslim 
(13 Arab) countries.  More than 95 guests gathered for the 
30-minute ceremony which featured statements by the 
Ambassador, the UAEG's senior religious advisor, and an 
American clergyman.  Ambassador Sison emphasized that 9/ll 
had been a blow to the entire world and a reason for all to 
stand united against the scourge of terrorism regardless of 
nationality or religion.  She thanked the UAEG for its 
partnership in the war on terror as well as for its generous 
donation to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.  Arabic and 
English language media coverage of the 9/11 ceremony was 
extensive; the event has also been posted on the official UAE 
News Agency (WAM) website.  (Note: That two of the 9/11 
hijackers were UAE nationals was left unspoken during the 
ceremony but is a fact well-known both to participants and 
the UAE populace.)  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  The Ambassador opened the event with remarks highlighting 
the fact that it was not the U.S. alone that had been 
attacked on 9/11.  The blow had affected the entire 
international community.  She praised the UAE,s strong 
public stand against extremism and terrorism and quoted 
POTUS' September 9 statement at the R swearing-in that "We 
must defeat the terrorists not only on the battlefield but 
also on the battlefield of ideas."  The featured speaker from 
the UAEG was Sheikh Ali Al Hashemi, Religious Advisor to 
President Khalifa.  Keying his speech to the Ambassador,s 
remarks, Al Hashemi noted that the significance of the 
anniversary lay in the fact that people the world over 
remembered the innocents who died on 9/11.  It was 
regrettable that the criminal acts were committed by people 
who considered themselves Muslims, he emphasized.  "A human 
being," he observed, "is neither an angel nor a devil ... and 
we have to nourish the spiritual and ethical sides of people. 
 What happened in the U.S. on 9/11 was contradictory to 
Islam,s principles and to those of all other religions.  All 
faiths respect human life, and human life must be protected." 
 (Note: Information Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al 
Nahyan, in Paris enroute to the UN, had telephoned Ambassador 
earlier in the week and congratulated the Embassy for 
organizing the event and featuring Al Hashemi, a higly 
respected religious scholar.  End note.) 
 
3.  (SBU) The Reverend William Bartoul, a Roman Catholic 
chaplain stationed at the USAF 380th Expeditionary Wing at 
UAE,s Al Dhafra Air Base, hailed the important role of 
courage in the battle for freedom and asked those assembled 
to remember all the persons killed on 9/11 as well as "the 
victims of every nation that felt the murderous touch of a 
terrorist... (including) the troops who have fallen in the 
pursuit of justice and freedom from terrorism... the 
survivors, the families and friends of those who have died." 
The presence of an American clergyman made an unmistakable 
impression on the UAE Islamic Affairs officials present; he 
was invited to meet them again, to attend their events as 
well as an iftar during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. 
 
4.  Upwards of 95 host country and foreign government 
officials attended the 9/11 ceremony, including key UAE 
senior officials charged with counter-radicalization, terror 
finance, and military-to-military responsibilities.  The 
Under Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and Islamic 
Affairs, Mohamed bin Juma bin Salem, the Under Secretary of 
the Ministry of Information, Saqr Ghobash, and the Assistant 
Under Secretaries from the Ministries of Information, Foreign 
Affairs, and Justice/Islamic Affairs all attended the 
ceremony.  Ambassadors and charges from a total of 47 
embassies -- including 25 Muslim countries and 13 Arab 
nations attended, as did resident American business, 
educational and community leaders and Embassy/Consulate 
General staff and families.  At the conclusion of 
Ambassador's speech the audience observed a moment of silence. 
 
5.  The embassy's 9/11 ceremony received extensive coverage 
in the Tuesday, September 12, UAE Arabic and English press 
with prominent articles and photographs in Al-Ittihad, Al 
Khaleej, Akhbar Al Arab, the Khaleej Times, Gulf News and 
other papers.  The event is also carried on the official UAE 
News Agency (WAM) website: http://WWW.WAM.ORG.AE. 
 
6.  Ambassador,s public expression of thanks for UAE,s 
generous donation toward Hurricane Katrina relief was 
highlighted in the Khaleej Times as a separate article and 
featured in most Arabic language coverage of the 9/11 
ceremony.  (Photos and text of Hurricane Katrina articles 
have been e-mailed to IIP-Bill Peters.) 
 
7.  Both the remarks in English and Arabic and a separate 
statement thanking the UAE for aid to Katrina victims are 
posted on Embassy,s public website. 
 
8.  The Ambassador,s remarks; begin text: 
 
Thank you all for coming today. 
 
I am so honored by the presence of His Eminence Sheikh Ali Al 
Hashemi, Religious and Legal Advisor to His Highness the 
President of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa, by the participation of 
Father Barthoul, and by the presence of so many Ambassadors, 
fellow Americans, and friends from so many countries. 
 
A great writer once said that the struggle of humanity 
against tyranny is the struggle of memory against forgetting. 
 It has been four years since 9/11... and we have not 
forgotten. 
 
As the years go by, it is important that we still remember 
what happened on that September morning.  Yes, we remember 
the cruelty of the brutal attacks in New York, Washington, 
and Pennsylvania.  Yes, we remember the pain and anguish of 
the innocent victims and their loved ones. 
 
But, we also remember the outpouring of friendship, support, 
and sympathy from nations around the world.  Because of 
course, it was not the United States alone that was attacked. 
 As in all terrorist attacks, many many innocent people 
suffered.  On that day in 2001, the blow was to the entire 
international community.  All the peoples of the world were 
affected.  Eighty-two countries lost mothers, fathers, 
daughters, sons and dear friends. 
 
I might note that the UAE, long a strong partner and stalwart 
friend and ally of the United States, under the leadership of 
the late President, His Highness Sheikh Zayed, was among the 
first to offer words of condolence after 9/11. 
 
Of course, we Americans understand that we cannot allow the 
violent acts of a few misguided young men to affect our view 
of good-hearted men and women around the world.  Recently 
after the London and Sharm al Sheikh attacks, there have been 
a number of strongly worded public statements, here in the 
UAE and elsewhere, condemning extremism and terrorism.  These 
statements are very welcome and have been well accepted. 
 
In fact, President Bush noted just last Friday, September 9, 
that "We must defeat the terrorists not only on the 
battlefield but also on the battlefield of ideas." 
 
You know, around the world, we all share the same values. 
Whatever our nationality, whatever our religion, whatever our 
family background, we all want the same things from life.  We 
want to be able to live in peace.  We want to raise our 
children in decent surroundings.  We want to prosper.  We 
want to allow for different cultures to coexist and thrive. 
We have not allowed the 9/11 attacks to change our values. 
 
The UAE government has been a staunch ally in the 
international fight against terrorism.  We must all stand 
united against the scourge of terrorism that has done such 
harm to innocent people in country after country since 9/11 - 
in Sharm al Sheikh, in London, in Bali, in Madrid, and 
elsewhere. 
 
Just two weeks ago, when Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, 
Mississippi, and Alabama, we were again reminded that our 
friends around the world are there for us in our time of 
need.  This time, it wasn't terrorism but Mother Nature that 
wrought havoc upon us. 
 
We Americans here at the Embassy and in the United States 
were overwhelmed by the warm and compassionate response that 
we received from our friends.  The government of the UAE 
acted very quickly and very generously to assist the victims 
of Hurricane Katrina, as did many countries around the world. 
 
The messages and support of His Highness the President, 
Sheikh Khalifa and His Highness Sheikh Hamdan, Deputy Prime 
Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, were very 
much appreciated by President Bush and the people of the 
United States. 
 
This act of friendship reaffirmed the close ties between our 
two countries. 
It is good to know that we can rely on such a trustworthy 
friend in difficult times - whether we are suffering from a 
terror attack or a disaster brought about by Mother Nature. 
We will never forget the friendship and support that we have 
received from our friends here in the UAE and around the 
world from each of your countries.  Such events, as painful 
as they are, remind us that humanity has no borders, and no 
nationality. 
 
I would like to ask for a moment of silence to remember all 
of the innocent people who died in the attacks of September 
11, 2001, and in all of the terrible terrorist attacks in so 
many other countries. 
 
I would also ask that we bow our heads to say a special 
prayer for the thousands of victims of the terrible 
devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. 
 
Thank you all for being with us today. 
 
End text. 
SISON