US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI3195

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 003195 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/ARP AND NP/CBM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PARM, MTCRE, PREL, MNUC, ETTC, TSPA, KSCA, 
SUBJECT: UAEG CONSIDERATION OF SIGNING ICOC ONGOING 
 
REF: A) STATE 16509 
B) STATE 89910 
     C) STATE 97985 
     D) STATE 155178 
 E) ABU DHABI 2730 
 
1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY AND COMMENT: The UAEG is actively 
considering signing the International Code of Conduct 
Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (ICOC or 
"Hague Code").  The MFA Legal Affairs Department has 
recommended to MFA MinState Hamdan Bin Zayed's Office 
that the UAEG sign the Hague Code.  Hamdan's Office 
will reportedly make a final decision on this issue 
after consulting with the Office of the UAE Armed 
Forces Chief of Staff.  Post's encouragement of the 
UAEG to sign the Hague Code was identified as a next 
step in the 2002 Strategic Dialogue (see Ref A).  We 
continue to engage the MFA on this issue in 
furtherance of our next steps strategy, with the hope 
that the UAEG will sign or be close to signing the 
Hague Code before the 2003 Strategic Partnership 
meetings to be held later this year.  END SUMMARY AND 
COMMENT. 
 
2.  (U) On 9 June, Poloff delivered Ref C demarche to 
MFA Americas Desk Officer Nejla Al-Qassimi, and left 
copies of the text of the Hague Code, a list of states 
subscribing to the Hague Code, and a sample note 
verbale for the UAEG's use in becoming a signatory to 
the Hague Code.  Poloff encouraged early signing of 
the Hague Code, in light of the upcoming Technical 
Experts Meeting on the Hague Code from June 23-25.  In 
response, Al-Qassimi undertook to determine the UAEG's 
position on subscribing to the Hague Code. 
 
3.  (U) On June 29, Polchief and Poloff met with MFA 
Legal Affairs Department Deputy Director Yacub Al- 
Hosani to discuss the UAEG's position on signing the 
Hague Code.  Polchief reminded Al-Hosani that the 
UAEG's subscription to the Hague Code had been 
discussed at the U.S.-UAE Strategic Partnership 
meetings in Washington, D.C. in November 2002.  Al- 
Hosani indicated that the MFA Legal Affairs Department 
had recommended to the Office of MFA MinState Sheikh 
Hamdan Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan that the UAEG sign the 
Hague Code.  Al-Hosani stated that he would contact 
Hamdan's Office and then advise us on the current 
status of the UAEG's consideration and decision. 
 
4.  (SBU) On July 7, Poloff contacted Al-Hosani to 
follow-up on the MFA Legal Affairs Department's 
recommendation.  Al-Hosani reported that Hamdan's 
Office had instructed the MFA to consult on this issue 
with the Office of the UAE Armed Forces Chief of Staff 
Lt. Gen. Mohammed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (MbZ).  Al- 
Hosani indicated that he would forward the MFA Legal 
Affairs Department's recommendation to MbZ's Office 
this week for review and consideration.  He further 
stated that he would follow-up with MbZ's Office in 
two weeks to receive their input.  Poloff thanked Al- 
Hosani for his commitment to push this issue forward, 
noting that the UAEG's signing of the Hague Code prior 
to this year's Strategic Partnership meetings would be 
another excellent achievement to result from last 
year's meetings.  Al-Hosani agreed, and undertook to 
work towards this goal. 
 
WAHBA