US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI3115

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GCC ADOPTION OF SAUDI ARABIA'S INTERNATIONAL CONFORMITY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

Identifier: 03ABUDHABI3115
Wikileaks: View 03ABUDHABI3115 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Abu Dhabi
Created: 2003-07-01 13:44:00
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Tags: ECON ETRD EIND WTRO GCC TC
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
null
Diana T Fritz  03/21/2007 12:24:17 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Search Results

Cable 
Text:                                                                      
                                                                           
      
UNCLASSIFIED

SIPDIS
TELEGRAM                                            July 01, 2003


To:       No Action Addressee                                    

Action:   Unknown                                                

From:     AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI (ABU DHABI 3115 - ROUTINE)         

TAGS:     ECON, ETRD, EIND                                       

Captions: None                                                   

Subject:  GCC ADOPTION OF SAUDI ARABIA'S INTERNATIONAL CONFORMITY
           CERTIFICATION PROGRAM                                 

Ref:      None                                                   
_________________________________________________________________
UNCLAS        ABU DHABI 03115

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

DISSEMINATION: ECON
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: A/DCM: KVAN DE VATE
DRAFTED: ECON:OJOHN
CLEARED: ECON:CRUMPLER

VZCZCADI641
RR RUEHC RUCPDOC RUEHZM
DE RUEHAD #3115 1821344
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011344Z JUL 03
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0682
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
INFO RUEHZM/GCC COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS ABU DHABI 003115 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS USTR/STROJE AND JBUNTIN 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/RA, NEA/ARP, INR/EC, EB/CBA 
USDOC FOR 1000/OC/ 
USDOC FOR 4520/ITA/IEP/ONE 
USDOC FOR 4530/ITA/MAC/ONE/DGUGLIELMI 
4500/ITA/MAC/DAS/WILLIAMSON 
3131/CS/OIO/ANESA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL 03/12/08 
TAGS: ECON, ETRD, EIND, WTRO, GCC, TC 
SUBJECT:  GCC ADOPTION OF SAUDI ARABIA'S INTERNATIONAL 
CONFORMITY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM 
 
REF: A) USDOC 3249, B) STATE 0164, C) KUWAIT 422 
 
1. This is an action request.  Please see para. 4 
 
2. On July 1, the Ambassador sent a letter to Minister of 
State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan 
and to Minister of Economy and Commerce Sheikh Fahim Al- 
Qassimi to express our concern about the GCC decision to 
implement a conformity assessment program for foreign 
imports similar to Saudi Arabia's International Conformity 
Certification Program (ICCP).  The Ambassador stressed our 
belief that the program may contradict the UAE's WTO 
obligations and that it might complicate the UAE's interest 
in concluding a Free Trade agreement with the U.S.  She 
also asked that the UAE delay implementing this decision 
until USG experts could discuss concerns with the UAEG in 
more detail. 
 
3. Acting DCM and Econ Chief made the same points in a 
meeting with Ministry of Finance Assistant Undersecretary 
Khalid Al Bustani on June 29. Al-Bustani stressed that the 
UAE would not impose one set of standards on imports and 
another set of standards on domestically manufactured 
products.  He noted, however, that the UAE needed to set 
standards and that it did not have the resources to create 
a set of standards on its own but would adopt GCC wide 
standards.  He asked for more detailed information on 
specific problems with the standards themselves. 
 
4. Action Request:  Please provide post with more 
information on specific USG objections to the standards 
that we can pass to UAE standards experts.  End Action 
Request. 
 
Wahba 

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