US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI1365

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001365 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
STATE FOR IRAQ TASK FORCE, ALSO NEA/ARP, NEA/EX, 
CA/OCS/NEASA, DS/DSS/ITA, DS/IP/NEA, DSERCC, AND M 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL 03/21/13 
TAGS: ASEC, AMGT, KHLS, PTER, PREL, EAID, PGOV, TC 
SUBJECT:  TFIZ01 (EAC): ABU DHABI SITREP NO. 3, MARCH 22 
 
REF: A) ABU DHABI 1350 B) DUBAI 1149 C) ABU DHABI 1352 
 
     D) ABU DHABI 1359 
 
1.  (U) Classified by DCM Richard A. Albright, for reasons 
1.5 (B) and (D). 
 
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General Overview 
---------------- 
 
2.  (U) COM convened Abu Dhabi's Iraq Task Force/core 
Emergency Action Committee (EAC) at 1000 local time, 3/22. 
 
3.  (C) Embassy Abu Dhabi is open 3/22 with full staffing, 
but with no visa or public services.  FCS and the USGS 
office in Al Ain are closed completely due to their 
location outside of the Embassy compound.  In light of the 
calm local reaction, however, Task Force/EAC members 
decided that the Embassy would open 3/23 as normal, 
including the FCS and USGS satellite offices. 
 
4.  (C) The Ambassador noted that UAE First Lady Shaykha 
Fatima had called this morning to express her condolences 
over the loss of six U.S. Marines killed in action since 
the onset of hostilities in Iraq. 
 
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Consular Issues 
--------------- 
 
5.  (U) The Consular Section is closed to visa applicants 
on 3/22, and is open for American Citizen Services only. 
The Consular Section usually is closed to visa applicants 
on Sundays for administrative processing.  The Task 
Force/EAC will determine at its next meeting whether to 
resume visa services on 3/24. 
 
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UAEG Actions/Statements 
----------------------- 
 
6.  (U) ECON said that local weather conditions -- not the 
war -- had affected flights in and out of the UAE.  Both 
Abu Dhabi and Dubai airports closed for part of Thursday 
night due to severe thunderstorms.  The General Civil 
Aviation Authority confirmed to ECON that Kuwait Airlines 
had not moved its operations to Dubai or Sharjah, as 
previous news reports had indicated was likely, probably 
because Kuwait International Airport is still open for 
business. 
 
7.  (U) POL reported that the official Friday sermon from 
the Mohammed Bin Zayid Mosque in Abu Dhabi made no mention 
of Iraq, and focused on conciliation between Christians and 
Muslims.  Friday sermons from other mosques around town 
also urged continued support for the Palestinians.  Unlike 
other cities in the region, the Friday sermons in Abu Dhabi 
concluded without incident or public demonstrations.  POL 
noted, however, that with the onset of the "shock and awe" 
campaign, we might see a more negative public reaction in 
the UAE.  The Ambassador reminded Task Force/EAC members of 
the need to monitor local reaction to U.S. military 
actions. 
 
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Security 
-------- 
 
8.  (C) A senior royal family member contacted the 
Ambassador on Friday morning to assure her that no anti- 
American demonstrations would take place in Abu Dhabi 
following the Friday sermon.  RSO confirmed that Abu Dhabi 
police have received two requests for demonstrations -- 
neither was approved -- and security upgrades around the 
Embassy are complete. 
 
9.  (S/NF) ORCA and RSO were not aware of any new threats. 
ORCA advised that ref A-C threat reporting of planned Iraqi 
attacks using high-powered explosives and poison gas in the 
UAE had been recalled. 
 
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Local Media 
----------- 
 
10.  (C) PAO confirmed that the raising of the American 
flag over the Iraqi town of Umm Qasr had dominated the 
headlines of local newspapers and was the focus of an 
extremely negative editorial in the "Gulf News" English 
daily.  She noted that local editorials were not positive; 
one Arabic editorial accused U.S. forces of attempting to 
"colonize" Iraq.  In a reference to remarks by Under 
Secretary Marc Grossman at the Foreign Press Center on 
 
SIPDIS 
3/19, the number two headline on the front page of the Pan- 
Arab "Al-Khaleej" Arabic daily 3/22 read, "The U.S. wants a 
new government [of Iraq] which will recognize Israel." 
Deputy Secretary Armitage appeared on Abu Dhabi Television 
overnight, and the interview will be replayed throughout 
the day. 
 
11.  (C) PAO learned that her British counterpart also had 
received numerous phone calls from the UAE Information 
Ministry requesting immediate assistance to embed Abu Dhabi 
Television journalists, some of whom currently sit with 
Coalition supply units, into our front-line forces.  UAE 
Information Minister Shaykh Abdulla also told the 
Ambassador that Abu Dhabi Television and Al-Jazeera 
reporters have been released from the Iraqi Information 
Ministry building, but many more journalists remain captive 
inside (ref D). 
 
12.  (U) Abu Dhabi Iraq Task Force/EAC will reconvene at 
1000 local time, 3/23. 
 
13.  (U) Iraq Task Force/EAC members in attendance included 
AMB, DCM, RSO, DAO, P/M, POL, ECON, CONS, MSG, OBO, PAO, 
ADMIN, USLO, FCS, FBI. 
 
Wahba