VZCZCXRO1386
PP RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDIR
DE RUEHAD #0732 2010912
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 200912Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2737
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 000732 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR DEPARTMENT DRL, NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/20/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PREF PREL EAID ER SO ET KE AE
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED FOOD CRISIS ETHIOPIA, SOMALIA, AND KENYA 
 
REF: STATE 70789 
 
Sensitive but unclassified; please protect accordingly. 
 
¶1.  (U) Reftel demarche request for urgent food aid to Ethiopia, 
Somalia, and Kenya was delivered to the MFA without response on July 
¶9. 
 
¶2.  (U) Ambassador delivered demarche points to UAE Red Crescent 
Chairman Mohammad al-Qamsi July 12.  (Note: the UAE Red Crescent is 
one of several quasi-Governmental organizations through which the 
UAEG distributes assistance funds to UN organizations such as UNDP 
and UNWRA as well as other international NGOs.  End Note.) 
Ambassador encouraged the UAEG to work through UNICEF and the WFP to 
respond to this urgent need for humanitarian relief. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Al-Qamsi, who is relatively new to his position, explained 
that as far as he was aware, UAE humanitarian assistance in Africa 
was heavily concentrated in Sudan, but that the UAE stood ready to 
help needy people anywhere, and he would be looking into what the UAE 
might be doing already, and where further contributions could be made 
to respond to this current crisis. 
 
¶4.  (U) Pol Chief met with Executive Director of the Khalifa 
Foundation, (an organization founded by the Abu Dhabi ruling family 
though which the UAE funds significant portions of its international 
assistance), Mohamed al-Khouri July 8.  Al-Khouri mentioned 
UAE-funded basic needs programs run by international NGOs in Kenya 
and Sudan, but was unaware of UAE donor participation in the current 
crisis. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Embassy will continue to raise this issue with the 
appropriate officials. 
OLSON