This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 002038 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/27/2015 
TAGS: ENRG EPET EINV PREL IR QA
SUBJECT: SECRETARY OF ENERGY BODMAN'S MEETING WITH AMIR OF 
QATAR 
 
Classified By: CDA Scott McGehee for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (U) U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman met with the 
Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, on November 
15, 2005, in the course of a two-day visit to Qatar. 
Secretary Bodman also visited energy installations and met 
 
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with resident U.S. business executives. The meeting with the 
Amir took place at the Wajbah Palace in Doha. 
Present were Sec. Bodman and his party, including Mrs Diane 
Bodman; Ambassador Chase & Mrs Diana Untermeyer; Minister of 
Energy Abdullah al-Attiyah; Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Saud 
al-Thani, President of the Amiri Diwan; and Abdullah al-Jaber 
of the European & Americas Division of MFA. 
 
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QATARI-AMERICAN RELATIONS 
------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Sec Bodman began by telling the Amir, "I came first 
and foremost to thank you for what you have done for our 
country and in particular for your contribution to relieve 
the suffering of our citizens after Hurricane Katrina and 
what you have done for our troops." The Amir thanked him, 
commenting that the troops "seem to be enjoying 
themselves." 
 
¶3. (C) At the meeting's close, the Amir said he wants to 
cooperate with the US and turned to Minister al-Attiyah to 
say, "Abdullah, we need more cooperation with them, 
especially in heavy, medium, and light industry." 
 
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ENERGY 
------ 
 
¶4. (C) The Secretary said recent storms demonstrated the 
vulnerability of the US energy infrastructure. He said close 
to one million barrels of oil and 5 billion cubic feet of gas 
a day is still "shut in" the Gulf of Mexico. He talked about 
the new US energy law, which he said aims to rebuild this 
infrastructure, especially for electricity. "Our president 
has a vision of an energy strategy that relies on oil and gas 
for many years but diversifies into coal and nuclear 
(power)," Bodman said. 
 
¶5. (C) The Amir said that increasing demand for energy in 
China, India, and possibly Brazil will put upward pressure on 
the price of oil. These countries need to explore for energy 
resources within their own borders. "Otherwise," he said, 
"the price will go up and up." 
 
¶6. (C) Bodman said, "This is the first time in my life that 
the price of oil is set by traders, not the producers. In the 
old days I could call the Minister and complain. I can't do 
that anymore." He thanked the Amir for Qatar's efforts in 
OPEC "to keep our markets well supplied." 
 
¶7. (C) The Secretary said that as a former chemical engineer 
he was very impressed with Ras Laffan Industrial City, which 
he toured the day before. He praised the Amir and Minister 
al-Attiyah for taking the risk to develop Qatar's gas 
resources "back when the price of gas was a tenth of what it 
is today." The Amir recalled heated Cabinet debates 20 years 
ago over whether to build Ras Laffan, sparked by ministers 
who had personal investments in what was then the country's 
main oil port, Umm Said. "Now, anyone who visits Ras Laffan 
wants to buy (our gas), 
because the facilities are all there." 
 
¶8. (C) Secretary Bodman also noted favorably the close 
working relationship between Qatar's ministers of energy and 
finance. "Usually (in other countries) they fight," he said. 
Looking at al-Attiyah, the Amir said, "The problem here is 
that our energy minister almost dominates our finance 
minister. But they are both in the same boat. Each 
one realizes that if you are to have the money, they must 
cooperate. In Kuwait, everything is jammed." (Note: This was 
said jocularly, because Minister al-Attiyah is famously 
voluble, and the more taciturn finance minister, Yusuf Kamal, 
is another strong man of the government who serves 
concurrently as chairman of Qatar Petroleum.) 
 
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QATAR 
----- 
 
¶9. (C) The Secretary asked the Amir about his vision for 
Qatar "and what role we could aspire to have in a continuing 
close relationship." In his reply, The Amir emphasized 
Qatar's aim to promote better education for the entire Middle 
East. He cited the American campuses in Education City and 
noted the establishment of two huge endowments to support 
future spending on health and welfare. The Amir said Qatar 
will have its first 
parliamentary elections "next year." (Note: Post continues to 
believe these elections will not be held until early 2007, if 
only because so much national effort in 2006 will be put into 
hosting the Asian Games, to be held at year's end.) 
 
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IRAQ/IRAN 
--------- 
 
¶10. (C) Bodman sought the Amir's views on both Iraq and Iran, 
especially the latter's nuclear ambitions. The Amir said, "I 
believe Iran is winning the situation (sic) in Iraq and in 
Palestine. I believe Iran will build nuclear weapons; I don't 
know who can stop them. Iraq will continue to be an unstable 
place for the Americans and the Iraqis 
themselves. I don't know how to manage the situation; I don't 
know how the Arab League can help Iraq. The situation will 
continue like this. I can't see the future for Iraq in the 
short- and middle term. The Iranians are causing the Shias to 
make things unstable for the Americans." 
 
¶11. (C) Bodman replied by saying the US is "doing our best" 
to constrain Iran. "They need technology. We have reasonably 
good intelligence on what they're doing, and they're not 
there yet. We believe we are having some success in 
convincing other countries what (the Iranians') intentions 
are. I don't have to convince you, but we have trouble with 
our European partners. We need a united front. But if (the 
Iranians) are willing to spend the money, they'll eventually 
get (nuclear weapons)." 
 
¶12. (C) The Amir offered a wisp of hope for peace, saying, 
"The Iranians are an old culture. I don't think they will 
make the same mistakes as Saddam." 
 
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RUSSIA 
------ 
 
¶13. (C) Minister al-Attiyah asked Sec Bodman's view of 
Russia. "I feel better about Russia," the Secretary replied. 
He said the head of Rosatom, the Russian nuclear agency (name 
not gotten), is a senior officer. "Our first concern is 
proliferation. We shared what we have learned about physical 
security. They haven't been very trusting of 
us; they are concerned we have military intentions, which we 
don't. They are reticent to accept help but are increasingly 
receptive(. There are some worrisome pieces of information 
about what they are doing behind the scenes, but they seem to 
be responding. We have a group working with five different 
committees of theirs on accident response and other things we 
worry about. It's been going pretty well for about two years. 
People get along; they have the same objective. I feel better 
about that than I do Iraq and Iran." 
 
¶14. (C) Bodman said that after President Bush and President 
Putin met in Bratislava in February, he (Bodman) got two 
assignments: To work on non-proliferation and to develop 
close commercial relations with the Russians. The latter has 
been hard, he said: "They don't want to have it with anyone." 
 
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CHINA 
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¶15. (C) Secretary Bodman said North Korea "is a real 
problem." The Amir agreed and said China seems in no hurry to 
do anything about it. Bodman said, "China doesn't seem in an 
hurry to do anything." The Amir laughed and said, "I agree 
totally." 
 
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INDIA 
----- 
 
¶16. (C) Secretary Bodman said, pursuant to a pledge from the 
President to the Prime Minister of India, that his department 
is working with India to help develop a civilian nuclear 
reactor technology, which that country "desperately" needs. 
There are some political issues arising in the US Congress, 
due to the fact India has not signed the world 
non-proliferation treaty. "But our president has said in 
effect that it's time to recognize reality and work more 
closely together." 
 
¶17. (C) The meeting was highly cordial, characteristic of the 
Secretary's entire visit to Qatar. Minister al-Attiyah was 
 
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particularly attentive throughout the Secretary and Mrs 
Bodman's three-day visit to Qatar, hosting them (and the 
Untermeyers) at several meals, including one with his family 
at their home, a rare and signal honor. 
MCGEHEE