US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI2733

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 002733 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/ARN AND NEA/IPA 
 
NSC FOR THEROUX 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/08/13 
TAGS: PREL, PREL, PTER, ETTC, KPAL, SY, IS, TC 
SUBJECT:  SYRIA'S BASHAR URGED TO WORK WITH THE 
U.S. BY THE FORMER UAE OIL MINISTER 
 
REF:  DAMASCUS 2781 
 
1. (U) Classified by Ambassador Marcelle M. Wahba 
for reasons 1.5 (B) and (D). 
 
2. (C) SUMMARY:  Former UAE Oil Minister and Zayid 
confidant Mana'a Saeed Al-Otaiba requested a 
meeting with the Ambassador on June 7 to brief her 
on the outcome of his late May one-on-one in 
Damascus with Syrian President Bashar Al-Asad.  Al- 
Otaiba, who served as the UAE Oil Minister from 
1973-90, was personal friends with Hafez Al-Asad 
and said he met with Bashar to express his deep 
concerns about the course of the U.S.-Syrian 
bilateral relationship and to urge the younger Al- 
Asad to take some difficult but ultimately 
necessary steps with regard to the Palestinian 
hardline presence and Syria's ties with Hezballah 
and Iran.  Al-Otaiba advised Bashar to reach out to 
the U.S. and suggested that he open a channel to 
the Israelis.  He also used the opportunity to 
press for an economic and political opening in 
Syria.  Al-Otaiba confided that he had undertaken 
this mission voluntarily and without prior 
consultation with the UAEG, but had briefed both 
President Zayid and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Khalifa 
bin Zayid following his Damascus visit.  Al-Otaiba 
said the conversation with Bashar had been 
extremely "frank;" his sense was the young Syrian 
was "listening" but struggling to extricate himself 
from the grip of some of his father's old advisors. 
The fact that Al-Otaiba decided to personally 
engage Bashar is indicative of just how worried a 
number of current and former UAE officials are 
about the future of Syria and the course of the 
Syrian-U.S. relationship. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
NO LOVE LOST BETWEEN THE AL-ASADS AND SADDAM 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
3. (C) Former UAE Oil Minister Mana'a Saeed Al- 
Otaiba met one-on-one with Bashar Al-Asad sometime 
in late May.  In a June 7 meeting at his well- 
appointed home in Abu Dhabi, Al-Otaiba told the 
Ambassador he was aware that UAE InfoMin Abdullah 
bin Zayid had also met with Al-Asad to deliver 
essentially the same message (reftel).  Bashar 
asked Al-Otaiba if he was carrying a message from 
the UAEG or the USG to which Al-Otaiba answered in 
the negative, though Al-Otaiba did offer to the 
Ambassador to serve as a channel to the SARG. 
 
4. (C) Al-Otaiba prefaced his remarks to the 
Ambassador by noting that the Al-Asad family 
absolutely loathed Saddam Hussein.  He was 
confident that Bashar would never have provided 
refuge to Saddam.  In fact, Al-Otaiba stated, 
Bashar "would have been among the first to have 
Saddam killed." 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
FRIENDLY ADVICE:  REACH OUT TO U.S., CLOSE THE 
PALESTINIAN HARDLINE OFFICES AND TONE DOWN TIES 
WITH HEZBALLAH AND IRAN 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
5. (C) Al-Otaiba told the Ambassador that he had 
decided to approach Bashar as a friend, drawing on 
his decades-long personal relationship with Asad 
pere.  Al-Otaiba told Bashar that he was deeply 
worried about Syria and urged him to reach out to 
the U.S.  "Put your hand in America's hand," Al- 
Otaiba advised, noting that if Bashar's ultimate 
goal was the return of the Golan, the path lay 
through Washington.  Al-Otaiba also suggested that 
Bashar open a channel to Israel.  He strongly 
recommended that the SARG close the hardline 
Palestinian offices, asking rhetorically what 
benefit these organizations brought to Syria.  Al- 
Otaiba told the Ambassador he was confident Bashar 
would do the necessary on closing these offices. 
 
6. (C) Turning to Hezballah, Al-Otaiba noted that 
with the Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon, 
there was no reason to maintain ties with 
Hezballah.  He also suggested that Bashar tone down 
the relationship with Iran.  Bashar demurred that 
Iran had helped the Al-Asad family through 
difficult times (NFI).  Al-Otaiba rejoined that the 
times have changed and "you should not back the 
losing horse." 
 
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NEED FOR ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL INFITAH 
--------------------------------------- 
 
7. (C) Al-Otaiba advised Bashar to open up Syria 
economically and politically.  "The era of one- 
party rule is over," Al-Otaiba told his Syrian 
host; he ruefully noted to the Ambassador that the 
Arab world is the only place where the 
"ishtirakeen" (socialists) continue to have a hold. 
He urged Bashar to actively court foreign 
investment and give concessions to Western oil 
companies, both of which are necessary if Syria is 
to modernize.  Al-Otaiba compared the development 
of Dubai with that of Damascus, noting to Bashar 
that when he landed at Damascus International, all 
he saw on the tarmac were two old Syrian Airlines 
passenger jets.  Dubai, by contrast, has become the 
transit and destination point for hundreds of 
airlines.  Bashar sought Al-Otaiba's help in 
arranging training for Syrians in the UAE. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
8. (C) Al-Otaiba was once a powerful figure in UAE 
politics.  He served as Oil Minister from 1973-90 
and was one of Zayid's closest advisors.  Since 
relinquishing the oil portfolio, Al-Otaiba's 
profile has diminished though he told the 
Ambassador he still maintains ties to Zayid, Abu 
Dhabi Crown Prince Khalifa bin Zayid and Armed 
Forces Chief of Staff Muhammad bin Zayid (MBZ). 
One of Al-Otaiba's sons, Yousef, is MbZ's personal 
assistant.  The Al-Otaiba are one of Abu Dhabi's 
oldest and most prestigious families and are 
intermarried with the Al-Nahyan.  While Al-Otaiba 
is enjoying his early retirement (he was only 44 
when he lost the oil portfolio), he clearly 
relishes being in the limelight. 
 
WAHBA