US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI1344

Disclaimer: This site has been first put up 15 years ago. Since then I would probably do a couple things differently, but because I've noticed this site had been linked from news outlets, PhD theses and peer rewieved papers and because I really hate the concept of "digital dark age" I've decided to put it back up. There's no chance it can produce any harm now.

(C) TFIZ01: UAE AIRSPACE TO STAY OPEN, AUSTRALIAN DEPENDANTS ORDERED HOME, WFP TO OPEN IRAQ OFFICE IN DUBAI

Identifier: 03ABUDHABI1344
Wikileaks: View 03ABUDHABI1344 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Abu Dhabi
Created: 2003-03-19 14:08:00
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
Tags: EAIR MOPS ASEC PREL EAID PGOV AS TC
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
null
Diana T Fritz  05/24/2007 04:50:01 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Search Results

Cable 
Text:                                                                      
                                                                           
      
CONFIDENTIAL

SIPDIS
TELEGRAM                                           March 19, 2003


To:       No Action Addressee                                    

Action:   Unknown                                                

From:     AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI (ABU DHABI 1344 - UNKNOWN)         

TAGS:     EAIR, MOPS, ASEC, PREL, EAID, PGOV                     

Captions: None                                                   

Subject:  (C)  TFIZ01:  UAE AIRSPACE TO STAY OPEN, AUSTRALIAN    
          DEPENDANTS ORDERED HOME, WFP TO OPEN IRAQ OFFICE IN    
          DUBAI                                                  

Ref:      None                                                   
_________________________________________________________________
C O N F I D E N T I A L        ABU DHABI 01344

SIPDIS
CXABU:
    ACTION: ECON 
    INFO:   DCM POL P/M AMB 
Laser1:
    INFO:   FCS 

DISSEMINATION: ECON
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: AMB:MMWAHBA
DRAFTED: ECON:TEWILLIAMS
CLEARED: POL:STWILLIAMS

VZCZCADI320
OO RUEHC RUCNRAQ RUEHBS RUEHBY RUEHDE
DE RUEHAD #1344 0781408
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 191408Z MAR 03
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8956
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY 0183
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 0099
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI PRIORITY 2900
C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 001344 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR IRAQ TASK FORCE, ALSO NEA/ARP 
 
LONDON AND BRUSSELS FOR FAA REPS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  03/19/08 
TAGS: EAIR, MOPS, ASEC, PREL, EAID, PGOV, AS, TC 
SUBJECT: (C)  TFIZ01:  UAE AIRSPACE TO STAY OPEN, 
AUSTRALIAN DEPENDANTS ORDERED HOME, WFP TO OPEN 
IRAQ OFFICE IN DUBAI 
 
1.  (U)  Classified by Ambassador Marcelle M. Wahba 
for reasons 1.5 (b, d). 
 
IRAQ WAR WON'T CLOSE UAE AIRSPACE 
--------------------------------- 
 
2. (SBU)  Muhammad Al-Ghaith, the head of the UAE's 
federal civil aviation authority, told Econchief 
3/19 that he had just signed a circular ordering 
UAE airspace to remain open in the event of an Iraq 
contingency.  Al-Ghaith said he did not expect air 
traffic in the UAE would be significantly affected 
by a war; perhaps a few carriers would reduce 
flights, but others (including the UAE's own 
Emirates Airline) would likely add service if 
demand warranted. 
 
AUSTRALIA ORDERS OUT DIPLOMATIC DEPENDANTS 
------------------------------------------ 
 
3. (C)  Australian Ambassador Campbell told the 
Ambassador 3/19 that Canberra has decided to pull 
all diplomatic dependants from the UAE.  All 
diplomatic staff would remain, Campbell noted, but 
given the regional the determination had been made 
to send all dependants home.  The Australian envoy 
indicated that not having a similar measure to our 
authorized or voluntary departure, the GOA had been 
forced to choose between no action and the ordered 
departure of dependants. 
 
WFP IRAQ OFFICE IN DUBAI 
------------------------ 
 
4.  (C)  MFA A/USEC Abdullah Rashid Al-Nuaimi told 
Polchief 3/19 that a WFP delegation had that 
morning met with the MFA to discuss the possibility 
of opening up an office in Dubai to coordinate 
humanitarian food shipments to Iraq.  Al-Nuaimi 
said he thought the office would be opened "almost 
immediately."  In response to our demarche on 
funding for WFP Iraq activities, the MFA official 
noted that the WFP had not raised this issue and 
that the UAE in any case will likely continue to 
deliver its humanitarian aid, including food, 
through the UAE Red Crescent Authority which still 
has a good presence on the ground in Iraq and 
enjoys good working relationships with the Iraqi 
Red Crescent.  Polchief urged Al-Nuaimi to keep us 
briefed on their assistance efforts so that we 
could better coordinate and deconflict provision of 
needed assistance. 
 
WAHBA 

Latest source of this page is cablebrowser-2, released 2011-10-04