VZCZCXRO7811
PP RUEHDE
DE RUEHDE #1450/01 0730946
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P R 140946Z MAR 06
FM AMCONSUL DUBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9090
INFO RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 1353
RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI 2020
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DUBAI 001450 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, EB/IFD/OIA, EB/TPP/BTA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  3/14/2016 
TAGS: PARM KNNP ECIN ECON PREL PGOV AE
SUBJECT: COMMERCE U/S MCCORMICK DISCUSSES STRATEGIC TRADE AND EXPORT 
CONTROLS IN UAE 
 
REF: A. ABU DHABI 849, B. ABU DHABI 852, C. DUBAI 1322 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Jason L Davis, Consul General, Dubai, UAE. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d), (e) 
 
 
 
1.(C) Summary: Commerce U/S David McCormick visited Abu Dhabi 
and Dubai March 5-6, for discussions about strategic trade and 
export control matters with federal and local UAE officials, as 
well as the business community.  In Abu Dhabi, after expressing 
concern about the high number of unfavorable end use checks, U/S 
McCormick pressed for passage of UAE export control legislation 
with the Foreign Minister, Minister of Economy, and the Director 
of Federal Customs Authority.  The Under Secretary also voiced 
concern over recent reports of secondary and tertiary boycott 
requests from UAE entities.  In Dubai he met with the head of 
the UAE's Counterproliferation Task Force, seeking to move 
forward on proposed working groups, and with the Dubai Customs 
Director.  He also visited CSI facilities at Dubai's Port 
Rashid, and held discussions with the American business 
communities in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai. (See Ref C for a report 
of U/S McCormick's Dubai meetings with Dubai Ports Executive 
Chairman Sultan bin Sulayim, and Minister of State for Cabinet 
Affairs Mohammed Gergawi.) End Summary. 
 
2.(C) David McCormick, Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry 
and Security, visited Abu Dhabi and Dubai March 5-6 for 
discussions about strategic trade and export control matters 
with federal and local UAE officials, as well as the business 
community.  Ambassador, Gabriel Pellathy (Senior Advisor to the 
Under Secretary), Cherie Loustaunau (Director, Office of Middle 
East, ITA), BIS agents, and PolEconoff (notetaker) also 
participated.  Consul General joined for Dubai meetings.  In 
each of U/S McCormick's meetings with government officials, he 
stressed three main points that could serve to take US-UAE trade 
and cooperation to the next level: first, passage of the UAE's 
national export control legislation; second, launching the three 
proposed working groups of the US-UAE Counterproliferation Task 
Force (CPTF); and lastly, support for the Proliferation Security 
Initiative (PSI). 
 
Passing UAE's Export Control Legislation 
----------------------------------------- 
 
3.(C) Mohammed Al Mehairi, Director of the UAE Federal Customs 
Authority (FCA), told U/S McCormick March 5 that the UAE 
government understands that passing the export control 
legislation is "essential."  Mehairi noted that he sees trade as 
a mover of change in the region.  By broadening trade with 
countries like Iran and Syria, he hopes they and other regional 
countries can become "mutually dependent" on peace in the 
region.  Mehairi asked U/S McCormick to push the export control 
legislation in later meetings with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah 
bin Zayed (AbZ), and Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of 
Economy and Planning. (Note: Mehairi's organization would face 
significant challenges, and perhaps an increase in stature, 
should the legislation be passed, since enforcing it could fall 
to the FCA.  The FCA currently has no real enforcement power 
since individual emirates run their own customs agencies. 
Mehairi himself, however, has little leverage in terms of 
pushing for action on the issue. End Note.)  Mehairi appeared 
very interested in U/S McCormick's invitation to a DOC annual 
Business and Industry conference, and also asked for more 
training opportunities for his staff. 
 
4.(C) On March 5, U/S McCormick told Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, 
Minister of Economy, that export controls are the foundation for 
growth of high technology trade with the US.  He stressed the 
fact that BIS end-use verification percentages in the UAE lag 
far behind most US trading partners.  Abdullah bin Zayed (AbZ), 
UAE Foreign Minister, later joined the meeting and told U/S 
McCormick the export control legislation is "possibly" in 
Sheikha Lubna's committee for action.  Sheikha Lubna agreed to 
check the status and report back. (Note: The export control 
legislation has been "stuck in committee" for more than 18 
months, reflecting both interagency and inter-emirate disputes. 
End Note.)  AbZ spoke about Iran, and the need for export 
controls in order to prevent it from attaining a nuclear weapons 
capability.  He said the UAE recognizes "Iran's tricks" and the 
crucial role his country plays as a transshipment hub.  He 
offered any assistance to help on the nuclear issue, saying it 
is a matter of life and death for Emiratis, who "have nowhere 
else to live."  U/S McCormick expressed gratitude for the UAE's 
leadership in the GCC and their commitment to make export 
controls a greater priority. 
 
DUBAI 00001450  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
5.(C) During this meeting, the U/S discussed other issues of 
concern to the US.  He raised the issue of increased numbers of 
secondary and tertiary boycott requests from UAE entities. 
Sheikha Lubna described positive measures the UAE intends to 
take to eliminate such secondary and tertiary requests (see also 
Ref A).  The U/S reiterated the desire of the US for the UAE to 
endorse the PSI statement of principles and AbZ responded that 
he should soon receive the UAE's response on PSI for his review 
(see also Ref B).  Lastly the U/S also emphasized the UAE's 
obligations under the CWC and offered assistance in helping the 
UAE to meet its obligations. 
 
Launching the CPTF Working Groups 
---------------------------------- 
 
6.(C) On March 6, U/S McCormick met with Brigadier General 
Mohammed Al Qemzi, Director of Dubai State Security 
Organization, and head of the UAE CPTF, and other SSO personnel 
to include Brigadier Abdulaziz, Major Mansour, Colonel Obeid, 
and Captain Majid.  U/S McCormick stressed the importance of the 
Counter Proliferation Task Force Initiative and asked Qemzi 
whether it would be possible for the three CPTF working groups 
to meet before May.  (In his meeting with AbZ the previous day, 
U/S McCormick told AbZ the US is anxious to push forward on the 
CPTF working groups.  AbZ did not make any commitment on 
initiating the working groups.)  Qemzi was non-committal on 
dates, saying that the Export Controls Working Group falls 
squarely with the MFA and FCA.  He stressed the need for export 
control legislation to be passed for the working group to be 
most effective.  He said freezing assets of proliferators - the 
subject of the Counterproliferation Finance Working Group - must 
done by other entities until the export control legislation is 
passed.  Qemzi characterized the job of the Transshipment 
Working Group as "tricky."  Without necessary laws, his 
organization works to find "creative" ways to prevent the 
shipment of dual-use items, but that it has led to embarrassing 
situations in the past.  U/S McCormick and Ambassador explained 
how international control regimes such as Wassenaar contribute 
to the licensing process in the US, and offered to host a 
meeting to discuss these issues further. 
 
7.(C) To further US-UAE cooperation on export control efforts, 
U/S McCormick said one important way the UAE can contribute is 
for the UAE to provide more data on re-export trade through the 
UAE.  Qemzi requested that the US provide to the UAE information 
about UAE companies discovered through US end-use checks to be 
involved in illegal re-exports.  Qemzi thanked U/S McCormick for 
his offer to help SSO build better export control capacity. 
Qemzi also offered to find out the status of the export control 
legislation and to press the leadership to speed up its work on 
it. 
 
Comments on Dubai Ports World 
------------------------------ 
 
8.(C) Sheikha Lubna asked about the furor over Dubai Ports World 
(DPW). U/S McCormick responded that the views of the President, 
Secretary of State, and other administration officials should 
 
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leave no question about their support for the DPW deal.  Sheikha 
Lubna was amazed at the misinformation being spread about DPW, 
but expressed her gratitude for the administration's support. 
She also raised the DPW issue in reference to the FTA 
negotiations, noting the difficulty explaining the situation to 
the Emirati business community, with whom the FTA is already 
unpopular (REF A).  AbZ said he was moved by the support of the 
President and Vice President, and that their comments had not 
gone unnoticed.  Qemzi also expressed frustration over the DPW 
issue and the mistaken image many Americans seem to have of the 
UAE.  As head of a security organization, he was baffled by 
suggestions that the US security apparatus would be compromised 
if DPW operated American port terminals.  The DPW issue 
dominated U/S McCormick's conversations with Sultan bin Sulayem 
and Mohammad Gargawi (ref C). 
 
Visit to Dubai Customs and CSI 
------------------------------- 
 
9.(C) U/S McCormick met with Ahmed Butti, Director of Dubai 
Customs, to discuss security and transshipment issues.  Butti 
explained that customs needs specific information to move 
against a suspect shipment.  He stressed that DPW is not itself 
responsible for port security in Dubai.  Following the meeting, 
U/S McCormick visited the offices of DHS's Container Security 
Initiative at Dubai Customs Headquarters at Port Rashid.  He 
 
DUBAI 00001450  003 OF 003 
 
 
also witnessed a demonstration of the CSI container inspection 
equipment used to examine US-bound containers leaving Port 
Rashid. 
 
Meetings with ABG and ABC 
-------------------------- 
 
10.(U) U/S McCormick met with the American Business Group in Abu 
Dhabi and the American Business Council in Dubai.  With both 
organizations U/S McCormick stressed the importance of the UAE 
as a partner and ally on economic as well as security issues and 
emphasized the importance of the cooperation of the business 
community in an effective export control system.  He spoke of 
the need for the UAE to implement export controls and the 
ability of the Commerce Department to work with the UAE to 
further high technology trade and ensure trade security.  Both 
the ABG and ABC were eager to speak with him about DPW and the 
effect of export controls on trade in the UAE. 
 
11.(U) U/S McCormick has cleared this message. 
DAVIS