US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI726

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 000726 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/IPA, NEA/ARP, NEA/PD AND NEA/RA 
NSC FOR ABRAMS AND CLARKE 
CENTCOM FOR POLAD AMBASSADOR LITT 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/09/2013 
TAGS: PREL, KPAL, ECON, EAID, ETRD, KPAO, KDEM, TC 
SUBJECT:  UAE OPINION MAKERS TO NEA/RA GRAPPO: MEPI WILL FOUNDER ABSENT 
MEPP PROGRESS 
 
1.  (U) Classified by Charge D'Affaires Thomas Williams for reasons 1.5 
(b) and (d). 
 
2.  (C) Summary and comment: NEA/RA Office Director Grappo visited the 
UAE on February 4 to discuss MEPI issues.  He elicited a few program 
ideas, but also a wide range of reactions with local contacts -- from 
the polite indifference of local businesswomen to the obvious enthusias 
of the Ministry of Education Undersecretary. By and large, our contacts 
opined that the timing of the introduction of MEPI is poor, given the 
USG's current focus on Iraq.  They also judge our credibility to be 
at low ebb because of perceived inaction on the Middle East Peace 
Process.  End summary and comment. 
 
3.  (C) Members of the Executive Council of the National 
Businesswomen's Committee in Abu Dhabi met with visiting NEA/RA Directo 
Gary Grappo early on the morning of February 4, and initially rebuffed 
MEPI initiatives -- noting that the UAE does not share the economic or 
political problems of Saudi Arabia and others in the region, 
and that Emirati women are afforded equal rights under UAE law.  They 
admitted, however that specific training for businesswomen (writing a 
business plan, managing business accounts, etc.) would be helpful.  The 
plan to discuss challenges to local businesswomen at a National 
Businesswomen's Committee-sponsored conference in April. Grappo agreed 
to forward a list of the top businesswomen in America, from which the 
Council could extend invitations to the conference and explore the 
possibility of a U.S-UAE businesswomen-mentoring program, perhaps withi 
the framework of MEPI. 
 
4.  (SBU) Grappo subsequently met with Dr. Jamal Muheiri, 
Undersecretary at the Ministry of Education and Youth, to discuss 
possibilities for education reform and development in the MEPI 
framework.  Dr. Muheiri, an enthusiastic participant in the 
November U.S.-UAE Strategic Dialogue in Washington, emphasized the 
importance of education as a way of combating extremism. "It is our 
problem too," he said; "this is the problem of our society in this 
century.  We want to provide curricula to the young which will combat 
religious extremism."  Dr. Muheiri requested MEPI assistance 
in four areas in which the UAE has already embarked on reform: 
curriculum development, teacher training, information technology, and 
library systems. 
 
5.  (C) At a lunch in honor of Grappo, a small group of UAE academics 
and opinion makers made clear that the moribund peace process remains 
among the most important issues and that in the Emirati view, the lack 
of forward movement on the roadmap will significantly hamper the USG's 
ability to spread the MEPI message. This view was most eloquently 
conveyed by longtime Embassy contact and Emirates News Agency 
Director Ibrahim Al-Abed -- a Palestinian by birth who is also a key 
advisor to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minstate Hamdan Bin Zayid 
Al-Nahyan and Information Minister Abdullah Bin Zayid Al-Nahyan. 
 
6.  (C) Capturing the sense of frustration and disappointment of many 
of our contacts, Al-Abed argued that Arabs simply would not accept the 
U.S. message on the need for reform and democratization as credible 
while the Israeli government is bulldozing Palestinian homes and killin 
civilians in the Territories. He scoffed at our decision to delay the 
roadmap until after the Israeli government is formed, noting that Sharo 
is wasting no time in creating additional facts on the ground, and 
derided what he characterized as our "tacit acceptance" of Israel's 
decision to block the travel of Palestinian officials to London last 
month.  Al-Abed noted that USG credibility was on the line when we 
called for political reform in the Arab world while at the same time 
seeking a "regime change" in the democratically elected Palestinian 
Authority, all while also cooperating closely with some of the most 
undemocratic regimes in the region.  "We have the right to question," 
he commented acidly, "whether you will ultimately choose your interests 
over your principles." Academic participants at the lunch did not 
disagree with Al-Abed, but rather suggested that since USG credibility 
is at low ebb, we should work MEPI almost entirely through NGOs. 
 
7.  (C) Following a brief interview at the Dubai Business Channel, 
Grappo met a number of Dubai businessmen, emirate-level government 
officials, and academics -- who by and large were receptive to MEPI 
principles -- at a dinner hosted by CG Dubai. All agreed that MEPI 
programs probably are not applicable to Dubai, which is more 
likely a model for economic reform and digital readiness for the rest 
of the Middle East, and might be an appropriate location for some of th 
regional training Grappo proposed.  The Dubai crowd was less vocal abou 
its opposition to U.S. policies in the region; the Director of Dubai's 
Technology, E-commerce, and Media Free Zone (TECOM  .e. Dubai Interne 
and Media Cities), Ahmed Bin Byat, said to Grappo, "we leave politics t 
Abu Dhabi; politics get in the way of business." (Comment: In Dubai, 
passionate feelings about the issues of Iraq and the Palestinians run 
just as high as they do in Abu Dhabi, but are less likely to spill over 
into business dealings.  End comment.) 
 
8.  (U) This cable has been coordinated with Dubai. 
 
Williams