VZCZCXRO4026
OO RUEHBC RUEHDIR RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV
DE RUEHDE #0186/01 1351204
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O P 141204Z MAY 08
FM AMCONSUL DUBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5978
INFO RUEHZM/GCC C COLLECTIVE
RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI PRIORITY 3011
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI PRIORITY 9172

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBAI 000186 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR IO/UNP, NEA/ARPI BAGWELL AND MASILKO, 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  5/14/2018 
TAGS: OIC KISL UNESCO AORC PREL PGOV PHUM AE
SUBJECT: OIC SPECIAL ENVOY SADA CUMBER STRESSES UAE/US COOPERATION 
DURING DUBAI VISIT 
 
REF: DUBAI 61 
 
DUBAI 00000186  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Paul Sutphin, Consul General, Consulate Dubai, 
DOS. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: On May 1 Special Envoy to the Organization of 
the Islamic Conference (OIC) Sada Cumber visited Dubai to brief 
UAEG officials on his OIC mission and to encourage US/UAEG 
partnership on outreach efforts to the Muslim world.  During his 
meeting with Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs (and champion 
of the US$10 billion endowed Mohammed bin Rashid Foundation) 
Mohammed Gergawi, the Special Envoy identified two immediate 
bilateral projects: sharing digital content for online libraries 
and joint organization of a Muslim NGO summit in Washington DC. 
Special Envoy Cumber posited other bilateral opportunities 
during his meetings with Young Arab Leaders' Chairman of the 
Board, Dr. Omar bin Sulieman, and the board members of Dubai 
Women's Establishment.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (C) While meeting Gergawi, Minister of State Reem al Hashemi 
and Director General of the Dubai Executive Office and President 
of the recently established Mohammed bin Rashid Foundation 
(MbRF) Nabil Ali Alyousuf, Special Envoy Sada Cumber outlined 
the key initiatives for cooperation encompassed by the draft 
US/OIC Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).  He noted that while 
the OIC agreed to focus on education, health and science, and 
technology, they were not comfortable with the original proposal 
to include the advancement of women. 
 
Sharing digital library content 
 
------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) As an initial project under the MOU, the Special Envoy 
described USG commitment to establishing digital libraries in 
the Islamic world's ten poorest countries.  Alyousuf noted the 
MbRF is working with Microsoft to develop a similar online 
research platform, but the Foundation has had difficulties 
signing on content providers.  Noting the synergies, Special 
Envoy Cumber suggested a partnership with his office helping the 
MbRF secure content for their research platform. 
 
Let's host a summit 
 
------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Extending the theme of partnership, Special Envoy 
Cumber described President Bush's proposed White House summit of 
the top fifteen Muslim non-governmental organizations. Gergawi, 
recognizing a potential synergy with the MbRF's recently 
announced Center for Arab Philanthropy (see reftel), elaborated 
on the MbRF's work in Islamic world philanthropy and volunteered 
to assist the Special Envoy in organizing the summit. 
 
Kosovo recognition 
 
------------------ 
 
¶5. (C) Turning to Kosovo, Gergawi observed that the impact of 
recognition would be far stronger if announced by the Gulf 
Cooperation Council (GCC), rather than on a GCC country by 
country basis.  He speculated that the GCC ministers had already 
decided upon recognition and that only the timing of the formal 
announcement was pending. 
 
Case study for UNESCO 
 
--------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) During a meeting with Dr. Omar bin Sulieman (Governor 
of the Dubai International Financial Center, Chairman of the 
Dubai Cultural Authority and Chairman of the Board of the Young 
Arab Leaders, YAL), Sulieman elaborated on YAL's goals of 
developing future leaders for the region through job 
opportunities and educational programs.  When the Special Envoy 
lamented the lack of relevant case studies for a June 17-19 
UNESCO conference in Kuwait on Arab youth and leadership, 
Sulieman volunteered to provide the conference with YAL studies. 
 Continuing on the subject of Muslim youth, the Special Envoy 
pointed out issues being faced by European Muslim Communities, 
noting he would like to introduce Sulieman and YAL to Farah 
Pandith, Senior Advisor in State's Bureau of European and 
Eurasian Affairs front office, so they can jointly work on 
European Muslim youth initiatives. 
 
 
DUBAI 00000186  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Let's bring the ladies to the US 
 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Focusing on UAE women's accomplishments and potential, 
board members of Dubai Women's Establishment (DWE) Mona Al Marri 
(Chairwoman DWE, and CEO, The Media Services Group), Sana 
Mohammed (Assistant Secretary General, Dubai Executive Council), 
Maitha Al Shamsi (Managing Director, DWE), and Najla al Wadhi 
(member of the Federal National Council and Deputy CEO, Dubai 
Media Incorporated), detailed their strategy and objectives to 
the visiting Special Envoy.  Impressed by the number of women in 
the senior ranks of UAE public and private sectors, as well as 
the statistic that more than 50% of UAEG employees are female, 
Special Envoy Cumber proposed that members of the Dubai Women's 
Establishment engage in two high visibility US speaking tours: 
one of high profile Washington government and private sector 
offices and the other a road tour of large American Muslim 
communities (such as Houston, Detroit and Chicago).  While the 
women acknowledged the need to increase Arab women's profile 
internationally, they indicated that they first needed to focus 
on raising awareness within the region before expanding their 
horizons internationally. 
 
¶8. (U) Special Envoy Cumber has cleared this cable. 
SUTPHIN