VZCZCXRO0626
PP RUEHDE
DE RUEHAD #2347/01 1581058
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 071058Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5547
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC
RUEANHA/FAA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 002347 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PLS PASS TO USTR DBELL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELTN EWWT EAIR ECON ETRD PREL AE
SUBJECT: PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES: TRANSPORTATION 
DEPSEC CINO MEETS WITH UAE MINISTER 
 
REF: ABU DHABI 2016 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  On June 3, Deputy Secretary of 
Transportation Maria Cino met with Sultan bin Saeed 
al-Mansouri, the UAE Minister of Governmental Sector 
Development, to discuss transportation and development 
issues.  Al-Mansouri discussed the expansion of the UAE's 
civil aviation sector.  He also outlined the UAE's strategy 
for managing growth and congestion with increased road 
infrastructure and new railway projects.  Turning to the 
U.S./UAE Free Trade Agreement negotiations, al-Mansouri said 
that the UAEG needs to do a better job of consulting with the 
private sector.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) DepSec Cino, accompanied by Ambassador, FAA rep, and 
econoff, met with al-Mansouri, Riis Johanson, Director of the 
UAE Air Navigation Services, and Mohamed Abu Baker Farea, 
Director of Safety and Security, on June 3 to discuss 
transportation and development issues.  Al-Mansouri told Cino 
that his vision for the new Ministry of Governmental Sector 
Development (established in February 2006), is to set an 
example for the region on how to manage growth.  The UAE's 
economy is growing at 10 percent.  During a discussion about 
the anticipated growth of each country's civil aviation 
sector, al-Mansouri noted that the UAE expected a 10 percent 
increase in passenger air travel, and a 15 percent increase 
in cargo travel in the next year.  The UAE has ongoing 
airport expansions in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai's existing 
international airports.  Additionally, the Minister reported 
that the first runway of the new cargo airport in Jebel Ali 
would be open in 2008.  Cino agreed that planning for 
increased air travel is a critical step.  She told 
al-Mansouri the U.S. estimates that by 2015 one billion 
travelers will travel through the U.S. per year (up from the 
current rate of 750,000 million per year), and that the U.S. 
is working to expand the capacity of existing airports to 
accommodate this increase.  (Note: The UAE's Civil Aviation 
Authority was formerly a part of the UAE Ministry of 
Communications.  With the February 2006 Cabinet changes and 
the abolishment of the Ministry of Communications, the 
General Civil Aviation Authority was folded into the new 
Ministry of Governmental Sector Development.  End note.) 
 
¶3. (SBU) Al-Mansouri told Cino that the roadway congestion in 
Dubai is particularly troublesome.  "We have design problems. 
 For example, there is a critical part of the major highway 
in Dubai that goes from five lanes to three."  He said that 
the ministry is working with Dubai to add options for getting 
over Dubai Creek, which separates the two sides of the city. 
Al-Mansouri reported that Dubai has already begun 
construction of two new bridges, and that by 2008, Dubai will 
go from only having three ways to cross the creek to having 
five (four bridges and one tunnel).  (Note: in the June 7 
English "Gulf News" daily, Dubai authorities announced that, 
in addition to the two new bridges under construction, they 
will build two more bridges over the creek (bringing the 
total to seven ways to cross the creek).  These bridges will 
be completed in 2009, and will add an additional 24 lanes. 
End note.)  Al-Mansouri also reported that Dubai's internal 
light rail system would be up and running by September 2009. 
With Dubai's significant estimated growth, al-Mansouri is 
aware that the railway infrastructure additions will not be 
sufficient, noting "metro will ease the problem, not solve 
it."  (Note: In late 2005, Dubai's Ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin 
Rashid was quoted in the press as predicting that Dubai's 1.2 
million population would grow to 4 million by 2015.  End 
note.) 
 
¶4. (SBU) Al-Mansouri said that one way the ministry is 
working to ease congestion on the roadways is by developing 
two railway systems: one for cargo and one for passengers. 
For their cargo lines, he said the UAE had worked with the 
Dutch, who have a very successful model of using trains to 
efficiently move cargo.  Due to the short distance between 
the two main cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai (87 miles), 
al-Mansouri said that high speed travel was not economically 
efficient for passengers, and thus his ministry was examining 
more traditional rail options.  Al-Mansouri said the UAE was 
working to be sure that its rail system is compatible with 
other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) railroads.  He said the 
GCC countries were exploring the idea of building a 2,000 km 
(1,243 mile) railroad connecting the six GCC countries. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Turning to a discussion of the U.S./UAE Free Trade 
Agreement (FTA) negotiations, al-Mansouri told Ambassador and 
Cino that the UAEG needed to do a better job of consulting 
with the chambers of commerce on changes resulting from the 
 
ABU DHABI 00002347  002 OF 002 
 
 
FTA.  He said that the business community was worried and 
felt that it did not have enough information on the impact of 
an FTA.  He said that in addition to providing more 
information, the UAEG needed to consider the business 
communities opinions and needs, "Their opinion should be 
considered, because they have invested and made the UAE 
economy what it is today."  Regarding the expected changes to 
the UAE's labor laws, al-Mansouri argued that the UAEG should 
present the changes as being required by the International 
Labor Organization (ILO), rather than as a condition of the 
FTA.  "The UAE should not let people think it is changing 
these laws because of political pressure."  (Note: 
Al-Mansouri is a prominent Dubai business owner, and he is 
actively involved in the Dubai Chamber of Commerce.  Thus, 
his perspective on the U.S./UAE FTA represents Dubai's 
business interests.  He publicly has resisted opening up the 
UAE's telecommunications sector immediately in response to a 
U.S.-UAE FTA (reftel).  End note.) 
 
¶6. (SBU) Comment: Al-Mansouri's timeline for completion of 
Dubai's airport, road, and rail infrastructure projects is 
ambitious, especially given competing projects.  Projects in 
the UAE typically are delayed well beyond their expected 
completion date.  End comment. 
 
¶7. (U) Note: DepSec Cino visited UAE as the keynote speaker 
of a Middle East Partnership Initiative-sponsored training on 
women's political participation. 
SISON