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DE RUEHDO #0293/01 0571314
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FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4372
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 DOHA 000293 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ARPI AND NEA/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/25/2011 
TAGS: PREL PTER KPAO IZ IR QA
SUBJECT: U/S HUGHES' MEETINGS WITH QATARI FOREIGN MINISTER 
AND SHEIKHA MOZAH 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Chase G. Untermeyer, reasons 1.5 (b&d) 
 
 ¶1. (U) Summary: U/S Karen Hughes visited Doha Feb 17-19 to 
attend the US-Islamic World Forum, sponsored by the Saban 
Center at the Brookings Institution and the Qatari Ministry 
of Foreign Affairs. While in Doha, she met with the Foreign 
Minister and Sheikha Mozah, wife of the Amir. This cable 
reports on these two meetings. U/S Hughes' Feb 18 Doha 
meetings with Al Jazeera management and staff will be 
reported septel. End summary. 
 
Meeting with HBJ 
---------------- 
 
¶2. (U) U/S Hughes met 18 Feb with Qatari Foreign Minister 
Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani (HBJ) in the Ritz Carlton 
Hotel, Doha, on the margins the US-Islamic World Forum. Also 
attending were Ambassador Untermeyer, Qatari ambassador to 
the US Nasser al-Khalifa, and staff members from both sides. 
 
¶3. (U) U/S Hughes began by saying, "The President very much 
appreciates the key alliance we have with Qatar and your 
letting us have our troops here." They then proceeded to 
discuss several topics: 
 
Qatar's Economy 
--------------- 
 
¶4. (C) HBJ (whose primary title is First Deputy Prime 
Minister) said, "The economy will continue to do well for a 
few more years. We doubled GDP three times in the last 10 
years, and by the end of this year we will double it again. 
We are trying to invest it the right way. We have a team in 
the US trying to buy 50% of a big property firm in 
Washington, DC. Also, a bank and investments in Europe and 
Asia." 
 
Qatar's Membership on the UN Security Council 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) HBJ said, "It is good to be there, but it is maybe a 
bad time, with Syria and Iran coming up. They (the UN) expect 
you to do more than you can do." 
 
Iran 
---- 
 
¶6. (C) In response to U/S Hughes' query on Qatar's view of 
what Iran is doing, HBJ said: "We have been telling our 
friends in the United States for a long time that Iran is the 
biggest threat. I was there last month and saw Ahmadinejad. 
He is too proud of himself and his nation. We are worried 
about their nuclear program, because if something happens in 
Bushehr, it will hit us first. We are nearer to Bushehr than 
it is to Teheran. 
 
"The Iranians sneak around. You think you have a deal with 
them when you don't have a deal. They are always on the edge. 
I don,t trust them. 
 
"We need a signal from Russia and China. If (Amadinejad) gets 
the wrong signal, he'll be like Saddam and do the wrong 
thing. Unfortunately, they have had some wrong signals (from 
Moscow and Beijing). Your position is known. 
 
"I don't see a solution. They want their own weapon, and they 
will have it. We need solidarity. I'm not sure about 
sanctions and what (the Iranians') reaction will be." 
 
¶7. (C) HBJ said he is preparing a letter for SecState Rice 
saying it is time for her to meet with her counterparts from 
the GCC to discuss the situation in Iran. "In the end we'll 
(have to) be together on this, so why not talk now? My advice 
to the United States is that your friends here need to know 
what you are thinking of doing." 
 
¶8. (C) HBJ expressed some discontent over Sec Rice's visit to 
Abu Dhabi, saying, "It was not well planned." He said that if 
she came a day later, she could meet with GCC leaders. He 
himself had an engagement in Monaco. 
 
Hamas 
----- 
 
¶9. (C) HBJ said that when he and the Amir met with Hamas 
representatives (9 Feb), "We told them, 'OK, you have been 
elected. Now you have to change and work for peace, build up 
health care and education and take care of people,s needs.' 
 
DOHA 00000293  002 OF 004 
 
 
They said that is their first priority. But they said if 
someone puts a precondition on us, it won't work. They said 
they have to respect all (peace) agreements and have to talk 
(with Israel). They have a different mentality. We told them 
that (governing) is not an easy mater like sending rockets 
and killing Israelis. They have got to care about what they 
say. They promised this is what they will do." 
 
¶10. (C) U/S Hughes said the US was pleased with the "free and 
fair" election the Palestinians held. "But we are also a 
democracy. We have laws, and our laws forbid us to help a 
terrorist organization. We want to help the Palestinian 
people." 
 
¶11. (C) HBJ said of such aid, "You are going to have to give 
it to the Palestinian Authority. They (Hamas?) say it will be 
100% transparent. Hamas will be different (from Fatah). They 
are more organized; they are sincere." He said Qatar will 
continue to give cash assistance through the Arab League at a 
rate of $3 million a month, along with a small-loan bank 
"regulated in the right way" as well as some hospitals that 
Qatar will build itself. 
 
Al Jazeera 
---------- 
 
¶12. (C) At the end of her visit, U/S Hughes raised Al 
Jazeera, calling it 'the only thorn on the rose'. She said 
she had "a good visit" with AJ senior management that 
morning: "I told them we have seen some improvements but 
would like to see more." 
 
¶13. (C) HBJ said, "They are changing now. They have their 
international advisory board that was just here. I told you 
before that they would do that." He said there is also a 
"small board" in place for only six months to "correct a 
fight" at Al Jazeera, which post believes refers to tensions 
between Al Jazeera Arabic and the new Al Jazeera 
International (in English). 
 
¶14. (C) U/S Hughes continued, "I told them we need to do a 
better job of providing spokespeople" from the USG to go on 
the air. HBJ concurred and suggested the USG help Al Jazeera 
to do positive stories on US efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
"In Bosnia you did great things," he said, "but nobody knows 
it or talks about it." 
 
Meeting with Sheikha Mozah 
-------------------------- 
 
¶15. (U) U/S Hughes, accompanied by Ambassador Untermeyer, met 
19 Feb with Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned, consort of 
the Amir of Qatar and chairperson of the Qatar Foundation, in 
her office at Education City outside Doha. 
 
America's Image in the Arab World 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶16. (U) U/S Hughes asked Sheikha Mozah (SM), "If you had my 
job and had to help tell America,s story, how would you do 
it?" 
 
¶17. (C) SM replied: "You have to change your image. We were 
always looking to America as a model for democracy. But after 
September 11th (2001), things changed. There was the invasion 
of Iraq, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo -- it really was terrible. I 
know the argument that Saddam was worse than what you have 
now in Iraq. But you have to understand the character here. 
It's 'you and I against enemies and strangers'. So whatever 
harm Saddam did, the feeling was, 'He's an Arab, so OK.' But 
after you invaded, we feel we,ve all been attacked in our 
homes. 
 
¶18. (C) "In Iraq, you'll be wasting your time if you try to 
rectify your image. I don't think you,re going to win. What 
you should try to do is start a good story, and you have the 
chance in Palestine. It could change your image in the Arab 
world. I've been hearing the rhetoric about Hamas. But you 
have to try them, to give them a chance. His Highness (the 
Amir) is a big friend of Hamas and can play a great role 
there. At least Hamas will be trusted on the Arab street." 
 
The Arc Project for Palestine 
----------------------------- 
 
¶19. (C) Sheikha Mozah spoke of the RAND Corporation study 
called the Arc Project, proposing infrastructure and social 
services for a Palestinian state made up of disparate 
 
DOHA 00000293  003 OF 004 
 
 
territories divided by Israel and linked by an arc-shaped 
railroad running from Gaza to the West Bank. Sheikha Mozah 
said, "We are willing to support this and lead the whole 
initiative. But we can,t do it without support from the US. 
And nothing came back (from Washington) saying that America 
supports this." 
 
¶10. (C) Ambassador expressed surprise at this, for at no 
point was Embassy Doha ever asked to convey the Arc Project 
to Washington and seek an endorsement. After U/S Hughes left 
Doha, Ambassador learned from RAND that there never was in 
fact such a request to the Embassy. It seems that Sheikha 
Mozah asked former SecDef Frank Carlucci, when the RAND Qatar 
advisory board met in Doha last year, to find out if the USG 
would back the Arc Project. 
 
¶11. (C) Ambassador promised to relay a message to Washington 
outlining the Arc Project and asking whether USG is willing 
to endorse the plan (at no expense to itself). 
 
Women 
----- 
 
¶12. (C) U/S Hughes praised Sheikha Mozah for Qatar's efforts 
to give women greater opportunities and roles. "President 
Bush feels very strongly that women will change the Middle 
East," she said, prompting Sheikha Mozah to say, "We 
shouldn,t disappoint him!" U/S Hughes said, "With women like 
you, that won,t be a problem. But what can we do?" 
 
¶13. (C) Sheikha Mozah recommended that whatever the US does 
for women in the Middle East, it should be done "backstage". 
She advised, "Don't show yourself. Whatever you do will be 
stamped with the American label and will be rejected. Be 
careful." 
 
¶14. (C) Speaking generally of Qatar's attitude toward women, 
Sheikha Mozah said, "We don't believe in a division (between 
men and women). We looked at other countries and saw that 
male colleagues were scared by (women) showing 
aggressiveness. Whatever we do in Qatar in health and 
education is for men and women. Our elections were for both 
-- not men first, then women. We're a small society, like a 
family. Some elements in society here may want to delay 
women's progress in society, but they can't stop it. Twelve 
percent of our lawyers are women." 
 
Foundation for the Future 
------------------------- 
 
¶15. (C) Sheikha Mozah said Qatar announced at a Foundation 
for the Future organizational meeting in Bahrain that it is 
willing to give free land for a FF headquarters in Doha. 
Since then, she said with a tone of regret, they have heard 
nothing in response to this offer. In fact, she has heard it 
may be located in Jordan. She also complained that early 
planning for the FF excluded NGOs, which she said "was not 
very clever". She also said "to brand (FF) as an American 
foundation would not benefit you or us. It was announced as 
something supported by America, the EU, and others. It is not 
wise for you to be (seen as) the only player." 
 
 
Education 
--------- 
 
¶16. (C) U/S Hughes asked about Qatar's success with charter 
schools, noting that "the educational establishment" in Texas 
opposed them at first. Sheikha Mozah said, "Same here! After 
a while, they established themselves. The first results show 
charter schools are doing much better than other schools. 
People have more confidence in them. A delegation from other 
Gulf countries will come and see what we"re doing." 
 
¶17. (U) U/S Hughes said, "You're really a great example 
throughout the entire region. I'd love to support it with 
anything I can do, maybe by fostering greater exchanges." 
 
¶18. (C) Sheikha Mozah mentioned her desire to have a branch 
of the US Military Academy in Education City. U/S Hughes 
said, "This is a really good idea, really interesting. I 
think Sec Rumsfeld would be intrigued with it. He"s a big 
advocate of international military training." 
 
¶19. (C) As for a future school of communications in Education 
City, Sheikha Mozah said, "We are working with (the 
University of) Missouri." (Note: This was the first 
indication that she has chosen MU for this role. Only two 
 
DOHA 00000293  004 OF 004 
 
 
weeks before, Missouri was just one of a list of potential 
campuses. End note.) 
 
Other Topics 
------------ 
 
¶20. (C) Sheikha Mozah spoke of her membership on the board of 
the UN's Alliance of Civilizations, which soon will meet in 
Doha. U/S Hughes said, "The number-one thing we need to do is 
undermine the notion that the West is at war with Islam. It 
plays to the extremists. I was the one who strongly urged the 
President to go to a mosque after 9/11." Sheikha Mozah said, 
"That was excellent." 
 
¶21. (C) U/S Hughes mentioned that USG will soon bring over an 
Al Jazeera reporter on an exchange program. This prompted 
Sheikha Mozah to say, "They need it!" 
 
¶22. (C) U/S Hughes closed the meeting by saying, "We need to 
make sure you meet the President. He's like you -- very 
frank." Sheikha Mozah said, "My husband says he's a very 
committed man; you can trust his word." 
 
¶23. (U) The Hughes' delegation did not have an opportunity to 
review this cable. 
UNTERMEYER