Viewing cable 07DUBAI355, DUBAI RULER DISCUSSES IRAN AND IRAQ WITH SENATOR LIEBERMAN
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| Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07DUBAI355 | 2007-06-03 11:11 | 2010-11-28 18:06 | SECRET | Consulate Dubai |
VZCZCXRO3701
RR RUEHBC RUEHDIR RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHDE #0355/01 1541114
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 031114Z JUN 07
FM AMCONSUL DUBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5452
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RUEHZM/GCC C COLLECTIVE
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 2461
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 8545
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 DUBAI 000355
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/3/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS KNNP IR IZ AE
SUBJECT: DUBAI RULER DISCUSSES IRAN AND IRAQ WITH SENATOR LIEBERMAN
DUBAI 00000355 001.2 OF 003
CLASSIFIED BY: Paul R Sutphin, Consul General, Dubai, UAE.
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
1.(S) SUMMARY. Senator Joseph Lieberman met with Sheikh
Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum (MbR), Vice President and Prime
Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on 29 May. MbR voiced
support for US policy in Iraq, but expressed strong reservations
about the al Maliki government and its links to Iran. He called
for new elections to produce leaders who would work for Iraq's
interests. He voiced suspicion of Iran's goals in the region,
and their claims that their nuclear program was for energy
purposes alone. He recommended, however, that the US seek to
contain Iran through negotiations and diplomacy. Using force, he
said, would only help the current leadership stay in power. MbR
also talked about his ambitions for Dubai as a regional model,
noting "we want to be number one." END SUMMARY
2.(SBU) Senator Lieberman, along with the Ambassador, Consul
General, codel staff members and ConGen staff met MbR at the
Zabeel Palace in Dubai on 29 May. Joining MbR were Mohammad
al-Gergawi, his principal aide and UAE Minister for Cabinet
Affairs; Major General Dhahi Khalfan al-Tamim, Commander of the
Dubai Police; Brigadier Mohammad al-Qemzi, Director of the Dubai
General Department of State Security; Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed
al-Maktoum, head of Dubai Civil aviation and Emirates Airlines;
and a number of MbR's sons, including Sheikh Rashid bin
Mohammad, Sheikh Mohammad's eldest son; and Sheikh Hamdan bin
Mohammad, Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council and Sheikh
Mohammad's heir apparent.
Iraq: Any plan B?
------------------
3.(C) MbR restated the UAE's support for the US in the region,
noting "the UAE is the only country that is 100 percent with the
US." MbR said UAE support for the US effort remained firm, but
asked what is "plan B" should the current US approach not
stabilize Iraq. Senator Lieberman quoted the Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying "plan B is to make plan A work."
Alternative Approaches: New Elections in Iraq?
--------------------------------------------- -
4.(S) Asked by the Senator for his advice on steps to move the
situation in Iraq forward, MbR commented that he has little
confidence in Iraqi PM al Maliki, and believes his loyalties lie
elsewhere, i.e. Iran. MbR suggested the way ahead would be
improved by new elections, which he believes would now yield a
better leader who is loyal to Iraq. Senator Lieberman noted he
thought that al Maliki and his allies would oppose new elections.
The Problem of Al-Sadr
----------------------
5.(S) MbR said that at the moment Muqtada al-Sadr is the single
most powerful person in Iraq; the US should act against him,
i.e. arrest and imprison him. Asked if new elections might not
yield a al-Sadr victory, MbR made clear he thought Sunnis would
now turn out in large numbers and that al-Sadr would not be able
to win - were the election fair. (Comment: Reflecting
commonly-held thinking by UAE seniors, he clearly implied that
al-Maliki had been elected through rigging in the last Iraqi
vote. End comment.)
Progress in Anbar Province: Look to the Tribes
--------------------------------------------- -
6.(C) Commenting on the improved security situation in western
Iraq, MbR voiced strong support for closer cooperation with the
tribal sheikhs. As has been proven, if the tribal leaders can
be co-opted to work with the US, they have the ability to defeat
or suppress Al-Qaeda. He stressed the importance of working
with the tribes without regard to their being Sunni or Shia.
Sheikh Mohammad on Iran
-----------------------
7.(C) Senator Lieberman asked MbR for his views on Iran and US
policies vis-`-vis Iran. MbR stated Iran is a large country
with great ambitions, a historic sense of its importance, and a
desire to dominate the region culturally and politically. Iran
has a long-term strategy for the region, and would like to
recreate the Persian Empire and spread Shi'a Islam throughout
area. Rehearsing themes often heard by US senior visitors, MbR
said Iran "can make trouble throughout the region" if it is
DUBAI 00000355 002.2 OF 003
provoked. While he suggested that Iran is the cause of the
deteriorating situations in Afghanistan and Iraq, he also noted
that Iran could make the situation in Afghanistan, for example,
"explode" should chose to do so.
Iran Promises a Peaceful Nuclear Program
----------------------------------------
8.(C) MbR told the Senator that the UAE does not want Iran to
acquire nuclear weapons. He said that during the recent visit of
Iranian President Ahmadinejad to the UAE that the Iranians had
promised their nuclear program is only to help meet domestic
energy needs -- quipping "how much can we believe what the
Iranians say is another question." MbR seemed perplexed about
the work of the IAEA inspectors and believed that they could
provide an objective view of the program. Senator Lieberman
reminded MbR that Iran has blocked the inspectors and they have
only been able to conclude that Iran will have the capacity to
produce enriched uranium on a sufficient scale to either
generate power or create a nuclear weapon within the next three
to eight years.
Negotiations - the Best Course of Action
----------------------------------------
9.(C) MbR and the Senator briefly discussed the recent meeting
in Baghdad between the US and Iran. MbR saw this as a very
positive move, recommending negotiations as the best way forward
with Iran. He said that threatening Iran encourages the Iranian
leaders to be defiant. Iranians are proud and the current
extremist leadership would not only endure, but benefit from an
attack by the US. Such attacks would ensure the continuing power
of the current government (note: presumable by rallying all
Iranians behind it in the face of a foreign enemy).
10.(C) Senator Lieberman commented would maintain the stick even
while it considered the carrot, and that the two carrier battle
groups now in the Gulf were sending a message to Iran. MbR
responded that everyone in the region knows the US is powerful
and can fight two wars simultaneously. He said that part of the
problem "is the way you (the US) talk." After making a demand,
"you (the US) should take two steps back before your next
action." Everyone in the region needs to avoid the dangerous
cycle of action and reaction. The Israeli-Palestinian problem
has worsened because actions are followed immediately by
reactions without thought.
11.(S) Brigadier Mohammad al-Qemzi, who heads State Security in
Dubai added that the Iranians are traditionally great game
players. He said that the US should play the game of
negotiation and diplomacy (to contain Iran) rather than engaging
in hostilities. Al-Qemzi recommended working for the longer
term, and believes that there will be a cultural and leadership
change in Iran -- over time, Iran would change for the better.
UAE Support for Counter Proliferation
-------------------------------------
12.(S) MbR reiterated the UAE's continued support of the US'
counter proliferation efforts in the region. Brigadier al-Qemzi
added that the previous day and in the previous week the UAE had
stopped Iranian vessels at US request suspected of carrying
goods proscribed by the UN sanctions regime. The UAE, he said,
would continue to work with us to stringently enforce UN
sanctions.
Dubai, the Region, and Transformation via Education
--------------------------------------------- ------
13.(C) Noting Dubai appeared to be a model of tolerance and
opportunity for the region, Senator Lieberman asked MbR to talk
about his goals for the emirate. MbR said bluntly "we want to be
number one." But, he said that Dubai has only taken the first
step on a journey of 1000 miles. He said that if Dubai plays it
right, the whole region can develop like Dubai.
14.(SBU) MbR indicated that Dubai has succeeded because it is a
place where all people can enjoy health, wealth, security, and
the opportunity to succeed. Commenting on his recent
announcement at the World Economic Forum in Jordan of a new $10
billion Mohammed Bin Rashid Foundation for education and job
creation (septel), he said "God gave us wealth and we must give
it back to the people in the region." MbR sees Dubai as the
leading city of a wide region and he commented "I am serving 1.5
billion [people] in the region." MbR underscored that education
is the key to regional modernization and moderation. In Dubai,
he noted, "we are trying to teach people how to fish and not
just giving a fish to our neighbor."
DUBAI 00000355 003.2 OF 003
15 (SBU) He also called for more US universities in Dubai, and
asked for Senator Lieberman's help in resurrecting the
possibility of the University of Connecticut building a sizeable
campus here (note: this deal was put on hold by UCONN leadership
after Connecticut state legislators and others objected to the
UAE regulation which prevents the entry of Israeli passport
holders).
16.(U) Senator Lieberman has cleared this cable.
SUTPHIN
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