SECRET
PAGE 01 ABU DH 01523 070939Z
16
ACTION NEA-10
INFO OCT-01 EUR-08 ISO-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 PM-03 H-01
INR-05 L-01 NSAE-00 NSC-05 PA-01 RSC-01 PRS-01 SP-02
SS-15 USIA-06 CAB-02 COME-00 DOTE-00 EB-04 FAA-00
SAM-01 /067 W
--------------------- 019203
R 070845Z NOV 74
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2210
INFO AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY BONN
AMEMBASSY PARIS
S E C R E T ABU DHABI 1523
BEIRUT FOR DWOR
E.O. 11652: GDS
TAGS: CIVAIR, TC, SY, US
SUBJ: SYRIAN AIRLINE PURCHASE
1. I HAD OCCASION DURING CALL ON ABU DHABI CROWN PRINCE SHAIKH
KHALIFA, NOVEMBER 5, TO MENTION OUR INTEREST IN SALE OF US AIRCRAFT
FOR SYRIAN AIRLINES. AS WITH OTHERS HERE, I STRESSED PROVEN CAPABILITY
OF US AIRCRAFT EQUIPMENT IN THIS FIELD AND SAID I WAS CONVINCED UAEG
WOULD WANT SEE SYRIANS GET BEST POSSIBLE AIRCRAFT. I ALSO RELATED
SALE OF US AIRCRAFT TO OUR POLITICAL OBJECTIVES IN SYRIA, SAYING CIVIL
AVIATION WAS OBVIOUSLY KEY SECTOR AND WE BELIEVED IT WOULD BE ADVAN-
TAGEOUS TO HAVE STRONG US PRESENCE IN THIS KEY FIELD.
2. KHALIFA SAID THAT FRENCH AND GERMAN AMBASSADORS HAD
RECENTLY BEEN TO SEE HIM TO STRESS THEIR INTEREST IN SEEING
SECRET
SECRET
PAGE 02 ABU DH 01523 070939Z
AIR BUS SOLD AND HE HAD REPLIED TO THEM, AS HE WOULD TO ME
ON THIS OCCASION, THAT WHILE ABU DHABI HAD OFFERED TO FINANCE
THIS PURCHASE, DECISION AS TO WHICH AIRCRAFT TO BUY WAS ENTIRELY
UP TO SYRIANS. HE SAID ABU DHABI WOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH THIS
DECISION.
3. COMMENT: THIS WAS REPLY I EXPECTED FROM KHALIFA, BUT I
NEVERTHELESS CONSIDERED IT USEFUL TO WEIGH IN WITH HIM AT THIS
TIME, NOT HAVING HAD THE CHANCE TO RAISE SUBJECT WITH HIM PRE-
VIOUSLY, AND PARTICULARLY IN LIGHT OF RELIABLE INFORMATION WE HAD
INDEPENDENTLY ACQUIRED THAT GERMANS AND FRENCH WERE MAKING
APPROACHES TO HIM ON BEHALF OF AIRBUS. (FRENCH
SEE KHALIFA AS FAVORABLE POINT OF LEVERAGE IN LIGHT OF HIS POSITION
AS COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF ADDF, AND MAJOR ROLE
FRENCH ARE PLAYING IN SUPPLYING MILITARY
EQUIPMENT TO ADDF.) WORD HAS UNDOUBTEDLY GONE BACK
TO SARG VIA FRENCH AND SYRIANS BY NOW INDICATING THAT MONEY
WILL BE AVAILABLE REGARDLESS OF WHICH AIRCRAFT (OF WESTERN MAKE)
SYRIANS EVENTUALLY DECIDE ON. HOWEVER, IT IS OUR UNDERSTANDING
THAT MAHDI TAJIR, WHO IS APPARENTLY LOBBYING HARD FOR SYRIA'S
PURCHASE OF AMERICAN AIRCRAFT, TRAVELLED WITH SHAIKH ZAYID TO
DAMASCUS. IN THESE SITUATIONS THE MAN ON THE SPOT HAS THE ADVANTAGES,
AND PARTICULARLY SINCE TAJIR HAS HIS FINGERS IN MANY DIFFERENT
ABU DHABI PROJECTS IN SYRIA, WE DO NOT AS YET COUNT
HIS EFFORTS OUT.
STERNER
SECRET
NNN