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Thursday, 09 April 2009, 04:22

S E C R E T STATE 034688

EO 12958 DECL: 04/07/2019

TAGS OVIP">OVIP (CLINTON, HILLARY), UAE

SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Clinton's April 7, 2009 meeting

with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin

Zayed

1.(U) Classified by Bureau Assistant Secretary

Jeffrey Feltman. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d)

2. (U) April 7, 2009 1:30 p.m. Washington,

DC.

3. (U) Participants:

U.S.

----

The Secretary Acting Assistant Secretary

Jeffrey Feltman Jake Sullivan, S staff Barbara

Masilko, NEA Notetaker

UAE

---

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed (AbZ)

Ambassador Yousef al Otaiba Abdullah al Saboosi, UAE Notetaker

4. (S) SUMMARY. The Secretary reviewed the status of the US-

UAE 123 agreement and additional action the UAE can take to

encourage a positive Congressional review. The UAE request for

participation in the Major Economies Forum on Energy and

Climate (MEF) is under serious consideration. The Secretary

expressed her interest in participating in a GCC plus three

meeting in Baghdad in the near future. The UAE ForeignMinister Abdullah bin Zayed (AbZ) also suggested a GCC plus 3

and P5 plus 1 joint meeting to discuss Iran. AbZ confirmed his

intention to participate in the Pakistan Donors conference in

Tokyo and expressed concerns about Saudi back peddling. The

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US embassy cables: Saudis fear 'Shiatriangle' of Iran, Iraq and Pakistanguardian.co.uk, Friday 3 December 2010 14.58 GMT

Summary

Regional rivalries over

Pakistan surface during

Hillary Clinton's visit to

the Gulf. The UAE

foreign secretary tells

her that the Saudi

government is

discriminating againstAsif Ali Zardari , the

Pakistani president,

because the Saudis fear

he is a Shia allied with

Iran. Key passage

highlighted in yellow.

Read related article:

Saudis want military

rule in Pakistan


2/4



Secretary thanked the UAE for the positive support for both

the Lebanese Armed Forces and the Palestinian Authority. AbZ

noted that Qatar wants the Arab League to request a meeting

with the Quartet focused on settlements and East Jerusalem.

END SUMMARY.

--------------------------------------

Nuclear Cooperation and Export Control

--------------------------------------

5. (S) The Secretary expressed the Administration's commitment

to the U.S.-UAE Agreement for Cooperation on the Peaceful Uses

of Nuclear Energy (aka 123 Agreement). She emphasized that our

goal is to get the agreement completed as smoothly as

possible. AbZ said that he is delighted with the progress on

the agreement. He added that the UAE's goal is to create a

gold standard for a nuclear power program. Then, because of

the strong commitments the UAE has made, it will be impossible

to have improper use of its nuclear facilities.

6. (S) Turning to the need to be prepared to respond to

Congress, the Secretary committed to form a State Department

committee including H, NEA and ISN to work on the

notification. The Secretary noted the importance of

implementing the UAE export control law and continued UAE

efforts against illicit Iranian trade and Iranian front

companies. The Secretary encouraged action on nonproliferation

treaty commitments as especially helpful actions the UAE could

take to support our efforts. AbZ noted that the UAE would

formally join the additional protocol on April 8.

7. (S) AbZ agreed that the August 2007 export control law had

some "loopholes" and said that the UAE Cabinet "revisited" the

issue last week. Otaiba said that AbZ had personally

intervened to ensure timely action. Otaiba elaborated that the

committee charged with implementing the export control law

will have its first meeting later this month to begin

operations.

8. (S) Otaiba noted that, even in the absence of a formal

implementation committee, the UAE is taking action - citing a

recent case involving German-made Siemens computers and a

Chinese ship bound for Iran interdicted in port in the UAE.

---------------------

Major Economies Forum

---------------------

9. (S) The Secretary noted UAE interest in the Major Economies

Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF). While noting that the UAE

does not technically meet the criteria for the meeting, based

on size of the economy alone, the Secretary said there are

many criteria that make it important for the UAE to attend,

adding she will make a recommendation for UAE participation as

an observer. AbZ said the UAE bid to host the International

Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) headquarters would be very

difficult to achieve if the UAE is locked out of the MEF

preparatory meeting in Washington and promised "we will

remember your help."


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----

Iran

----

10. (S) The Secretary said the U.S. is looking to see if Iran

can be engaged in any productive manner and noted that Special

Advisor Ross would travel to the region soon for

consultations. AbZ told the Secretary that UAE feels

threatened by Iran today, even though Iran does not yet have a

nuclear capability. AbZ asserted that the UAE is even more

worried about Iranian intentions than is Israel. AbZ

encouraged the U.S. to consider a GCC plus 3 and P5 plus 1

joint meeting.

----------------

Iraqi GCC plus 3

----------------

11. (S) The Secretary expressed interest in the Iraqi

invitations for a GCC plus 3 meeting in Baghdad, at a date to

be determined. She noted the value of the GCC plus 3 mechanism

not only for furthering Arab engagement with the Iraqi

government during a time of transition, but as a way to send a

message to Iran that Iraq has broad support in the Arab world.

--------------------

Afghanistan/Pakistan

--------------------

12. (S) The Secretary told AbZ that the U.S. needs help to

stem the flow of funds from the Gulf to the Taliban. She noted

that one area of potential action is reviving training related

to bulk cash smuggling.

13. (S) Thanking the UAE for hosting the Friends of Pakistan

preparatory meeting, the Secretary said she hopes AbZ would

attend the April donors conference in Tokyo. AbZ confirmed

that he plans to attend and said that the UAE will make a

"strong" pledge, but no decision has been made on an exact

dollar figure.

14. (S) AbZ express concern over Saudi Arabia's decision not

to make a pledge at the Tokyo conference. AbZ said that the

Saudis have never liked the Pakistan Peoples Party, and

support Nawaz Sharif. In addition, AbZ posited that Saudi

Arabia suspects that Zardari is Shia, thus creating Saudi

concern of a Shia triangle in the region between Iran, the

Maliki government in Iraq, and Pakistan under Zardari. Feltman

noted a pattern of Saudi behavior of withholding financial

assistance - not supporting March 14 in Lebanon, not sending

funds to the PA, and not planning a pledge for Pakistan.

Otaiba added that Saudi Arabia also failed make a commitment

at the G20 meeting.

-------

Lebanon

-------


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15. (S) The Secretary noted the need to support Lebanese Armed

Forces (LAF) in the run up to the elections with concrete

displays of support. Feltman added that the UAE had been

particularly helpful already by funding the delivery of the

first ten refurbished tanks for the LAF. AbZ noted that he

would meet with visiting Lebanese Minister of Defense Murr

later on April 7. AbZ said the UAE will purchase additional

munitions for LAF helicopters, donated by the UAE to LAF last

year, but is waiting for France to provide a price estimate.

-------------------------

Middle East Peace Process

-------------------------

16. (S) The Secretary thanked the UAE for its strong financial

support for the Palestinian Authority (PA). The Secretary

asked if AbZ had an update on the status of Palestinian unity

talks. Acknowledging that Hamas and Fatah are not coming to an

agreement, AbZ replied with a smile that things are "going

well."

17. (S) AbZ said that in addition to financial support for the

PA it is important that the new Israeli government reach out

to President Abbas. AbZ said that the Secretary should expect

the Qatari Prime Minister to request an Arab League meeting

with the Quartet focused on settlements and East Jerusalem.

AbZ said the Quartet will need to use the same standards for

the new Israel government as already applied to the

Palestinians regarding respecting previous agreements. The

Secretary agreed. AbZ said that it is important to create a

road map of Israeli and Palestinian actions towards an end

game. The Secretary agreed on the importance of simultaneous

reinforcing actions in support of negotiations. AbZ said that

the UAE candidacy to host IRENA could yield political

benefits, if successful. Israel is already a signatory to the

agreement, so it would have a representative IRENA mission in

Abu Dhabi should the UAE be chosen to host headquarters.

CLINTON

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