US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI4715

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 004715 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2010 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, MCAP, IZ, AE 
SUBJECT: UAE LEADERS DISCUSS REGIONAL SECURITY AHEAD OF 
DUBAI AIR SHOW 
 
Classified By: Martin R. Quinn, DCM, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (U) Summary: The 9th Dubai Air Show got under way November 
20 with the UAE leadership underscoring the UAEG's role in 
defusing regional tension by promoting dialogue and 
condemning terrorism, and at the same time stressing the 
importance of modernizing the military to safeguard the UAE's 
national interests.  The leadership also called for a UN-led 
initiative to rid the Middle East of Weapons of Mass 
Destruction, and reiterated its support for Iraq.  End 
Summary. 
 
2. (U) Speaking November 19 before the Middle East Air Chiefs 
Conference, the event that traditionally precedes the Dubai 
Air Show, Sheikh Ahmed bin Said Al Maktoum, head of the Dubai 
Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of Emirates Air, also 
talked about the UAE's role in conflict resolution.  The UAE, 
in keeping with the late President Sheikh Zayed's principles, 
"favors the peaceful resolution to conflicts," said Sheikh 
Ahmed, who was filling in for Dubai Crown Prince and Defense 
Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid (MbR).  He said that 
conflict has spread in the region, as have acts of terrorism. 
 The UAE has been consistent in its condemnation of 
"indiscriminate attacks" against innocent women and children, 
he said.  Sheikh Ahmed said that war was not the only way to 
solve conflicts.  The UAE supports international community 
efforts to eliminate injustice and inequality, especially in 
the case of the Palestinians.  He said the UAE also supports 
the establishment of a WMD-free zone in the region.  The UAE 
also supports building a free and united Iraq, Sheikh Ahmed 
told the air chiefs.  The UAE has also supported a policy on 
national security that emphasizes strong security services 
and armed forces.  This has created an atmosphere that is 
encouraging multinational corporations to invest in the UAE, 
he added.  The UAE's economic growth is testimony to the 
"right policies" at all levels, he said.  At the same time, 
the UAE is "staying alert" to potential threats to its 
security, Sheikh Ahmed concluded. 
 
3. (U) Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of 
the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed (MbZ), told 
Dir Al Watan, the magazine of the UAE Armed Forces, that the 
UAE is capable of playing a major role in defusing tensions 
in the region through its policy of promoting dialogue as a 
means of resolving conflicts.  He also said that the UAE 
strategy to modernize its armed forces is part of an overall 
policy to boost the defense capabilities of the country by 
acquiring the most sophisticated arms, including 80 F-16 
Block 60 jet fighters from the United States.  "By possessing 
these jets, we have acquired a decisive force and therefore 
we stand ready to ward off any threats against us.  It means 
that we have secured our airspace and also elevated the 
capacity of our military to the same level as that of other 
advanced armies of the world," MbZ said.  MbZ noted, however, 
that "at no time has the UAE been a source of threat to any 
country.  We do not harbor any sinister intention against 
anyone."  He said the UAE is modernizing its military "to 
beef up our national security" and safeguard the national 
interest.  "A strong UAE military will reinforce regional and 
global peace and stability," he added. 
 
4. (U) Separately, Dubai Crown Prince MbR told Dir Al Watan 
magazine that the UAE has called for a UN-led effort to 
eliminate WMD from the Middle East.  MbR said the initiative 
should be "balanced and just" and "without bias and double 
standards."  He warned that WMD, if exploited, could be 
destructive.  "The WMD pose a real danger not only to their 
possessors but also to the surrounding region and the whole 
world at large ... they are a source of worry to peace and 
stability and it is better for states acquiring them to take 
the lead in getting rid of them to protect humanity." 
 
5. (C) Comment: Sheikh Ahmed's keynote address to the Middle 
East Air Chiefs Conference had less to do with the theme of 
the event )- "Modern Air Power: Strategy and Tactics" )- 
and more to do with the UAE's political agenda of condemning 
terrorism, supporting Iraq's reconstruction and political 
process, and standing by the Palestinian cause.  As such, it 
got the attention of senior air force officers from the U.S., 
several European and Asian countries, and the Middle East. 
SISON