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Monday, July 23, 2007

U.S. moves against lawsuit charging abduction of African children to be camel jockies

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has acted to block a lawsuit against the United Arab Emirates by the families of children abducted from African countries for use as jockeys.

Officials said the State Department has been directed to help prevent a trial in a Miami court by representatives of an estimated 10,000 children forced into becoming camel jockeys in the UAE. The suit has targeted UAE Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the ruler of the Dubai emirate.

The administration was approached by the UAE to halt the legal proceedings by attorneys for the child jockeys, most of them from Pakistan, Sudan, Mauritania and Bangladesh. In February 2007, Mohammed sent a letter to President George Bush that called for a dismissal of the case. In mid-July, the State Department filed a request to delay any trial until September. Officials said this would enable the administration to examine the issue and decide whether it wants to become involved.

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In the letter, officials said, Mohammed called the UAE a key partner in the war against Al Qaida. The UAE prime minister warned that the suit would result in "unnecessary interference" between his country and the United States.

"The right way on this is to proceed diplomatically," said Anthony Coles, the attorney for the Dubai rulers, during a hearing in federal district court in Miami on July 16.

The suit names Mohammed and his brother Hamdan. Hamdan is UAE finance minister and deputy ruler of Dubai. The rulers said the UAE has ended the use of children as camel jockeys.

U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga expressed doubt whether a decision on a trial should be delayed for long. At the same time, Ms. Altonaga said she might not have the jurisdiction to hear the case, brought under the Alien Tort Statute, which enables U.S. court over cases that involve foreigners.

"We could keep this sort of in limbo status for a very long time," the judge said.

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