Daliah Merzaban meets the man behind the office of the UK ambassador to the UAE and discuss his new posting as Consul General in Jerusalem
His name speaks volumes about the man. Richard Makepeace has spent much of his career working to facilitate peace throughout the turbulent Middle East and North Africa.
Over three decades in the British Foreign Office, the United Kingdom's outgoing ambassador to the UAE has left his mark in setting in motion the peace process in Sudan and maintaining ties between Egypt and Israel.
"It is a nice talking point," he says of his last name, during an interview this week at the British Embassy in Dubai, "and as it happens I have spent a lot of my career in dealing with areas of conflict".
The Heart of Conflict
Makepeace will now tackle the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict when he leaves the UAE next month to take over as Consul General in Jerusalem, the internationally disputed city at the centre of the more than half-a-century-old strife between Israel and Palestine.
Living in the city that is the nucleus of the Middle East conflict will be a stark contrast to cosmopolitan Abu Dhabi, where Makepeace and his family have lived for threeand-a-half years.
But the ambassador claims he is up to the challenge. "It was one of several jobs that I expressed interest in," relates Makepeace. "I think it is evident to anyone who knows even a little about the Middle East how fundamental the issue of the Palestinians and the Arab-Israeli conflict is to relationships within the region; to economic and political progress, and to relations with the West." The decision to send Makepeace to Jerusalem was finalised before peace talks came to an alarming halt this month as Israeli and Hezbollah forces entered into their current conflict.
Commentators such as Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa have called the Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement "dead" in the wake of the string of violence that has continued now for two weeks, killing hundreds of civilians in Lebanon and Israel.
The ambassador will thus play a pivotal role in reviving what is left of the battered peace process once the current conflict subsides.
Reviving Peace
Makepeace says he will lead the mission that handles Britain's relations with the Palestinians - a task that will include close meetings with the Palestinian Authority, the Israeli Government and various Arab governments, including the UAE.
"It will not be an easy job by any stretch of the imagination. I have no illusions. That is why somebody with my experience in the Arab World would probably be chosen for that role," conveys the ambassador, who speaks fluent Arabic.
"It is an enormous priority for me to do what I can to try to achieve progress towards the peaceful solution that, obviously, the Palestinians and the Israelis so badly need." Makepeace, now 53, recalls his first encounter with Lebanon in the late 1970s, when he joined the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
He studied Arabic - a language he now speaks with remarkable ease, along with English, French, German and Czech - at a British school in Beirut.
"I spent a very happy year in Lebanon struggling with the language but enjoying the country a lot," recounts Makepeace. "In fact, I was in the last generation that went to Lebanon. Unfortunately then, there were too many troubles in the area where our school was situated due to the Lebanese Civil War, and we had to move out." It was perhaps the region's continued need for peacekeeping counsel that has nurtured Makepeace's career.
Career Decision
Makepeace dates his decision to become a diplomat back to his college years at Oxford University from 1972 to 1976, where he studied modern languages, and entertained a keen interest in politics.
"It seemed logical to go abroad and use those languages. Ironically, I studied French and German and I spent most of my time working in the Middle East," says Makepeace.
Spending his entire educational career immersed in studies of European history and European language sparked a curiosity for the unknown in the then 20-something Makepeace, he admits.
"I was always fascinated to know what was beyond the boundaries, and I suppose the immediate region that was beyond the boundary and a region which historically has interacted with Europe so importantly over the centuries was the Middle East," says Makepeace.
"I was fascinated not just to see the names on railway timetables or airline timetables, but actually to visit these places... and I have certainly not been disappointed. It has been a fascinating part of the world in which to work."
Heavy Investment
Makepeace moved to the UAE in 2003 at the onset of the Iraq war, and is poised to leave again as war rages in Lebanon. But to Britain, the UAE has always been a diamond in the rough in the explosive region, contends the ambassador.
Heavy flows of investment travel in both directions - evident in the 140-plus weekly direct flights between the two countries, the one million British visitors who vacation in the UAE each year and the 120,000 British who call the country their home.
Unlike many countries in the West - and particularly the United States - the United Kingdom understands that the Middle East cannot be grouped under one banner, particularly during wartime. "The history of our involvement means that we tend not to regard the Middle East as a huge amorphous region," explains Makepeace.
"Currently, of course, we all think of Lebanon, where there are serious, serious problems and a serious crisis going on. But there are also massive success stories, and the UAE is perhaps the best among these." Reiterating its commitment to the UAE, the UK this week identified the country as one of 10 emerging markets in which it will strive to enhance the two-way flow of trade and investment, alongside such big global players as India, China, Brazil and Russia.
"Of course the UAE is not remotely in a position to compete in terms of market size with a country like Brazil or India, let alone China," says Makepeace. "But sometimes the attractiveness of the UAE is underweighted because people look at it in terms of the size of the market. We are looking at the UAE as a focus for trade in the entire region. We feel that there is a big competitive advantage."
Stunning Development
Long before moving to the UAE, Makepeace began his Middle East career in neighbouring Oman in 1979. He describes his experience, returning to the Gulf state 22 years later, after assuming his role as UK ambassador here.
"Seeing the development 25 years on is stunning," observes Makepeace. "I think I just about managed to find the house I used to live in while I was in Madinat Qaboos, but whereas it used to be surrounded by desert, now it is very much in a leafy suburb of Muscat. And the huge strides that have been made in education and industrialisation speak for themselves." From 1995 to 2002, Makepeace tackled areas of deep-seated conflict while stationed in Egypt and Sudan. "I was deputy to the ambassador in Cairo, and spent a lot of my time dealing with the Egyptians on things relating to the Arab-Israel dispute, obviously Egypt plays a tremendously important, very positive role," he says.
In Khartoum, Makepeace's team focused on conflict prevention and encouraging the peace process between the North and the South of the country that led to the signing of a peace deal in 2004, ending a 21-year civil war.
"We put a huge effort into developing the North-South peace process," emphasises Makepeace. "Sadly, of course, there still continues a very serious conflict in Darfur, which we are all making great efforts to find solutions to.
"But I think it is sometimes forgotten that there was an allenveloping North-South civil war in Sudan, on and off for virtually 40 years, and a lot of international effort during my time went into trying to resolve that and to bring about the treaty, which brought about the new constitution."
World View
In Jerusalem, Consul General Makepeace will have an opportunity to leave a lasting mark on the peace process in the coming four years.
The ambassador's strides in the region are far greater than he could have dreamed of as a child; his family barely travelled outside of Britain, he says, and he is the only one to take his career overseas.
In this way, Makepeace's two sons - aged 30 and 17 - have enjoyed a much more "international outlook".
While they completed all of their schooling in Britain, his sons' exposure to different cultures has opened their eyes to globalisation and the world beyond Britain's borders, the ambassador says.
"I am delighted that my children have a much more international outlook than I had," he relates.
"I think that is what you need in this globalised world: you need to be able to look at the international issues and look at career opportunities all over the place." It is his wife Rupmani, though, who has been his constant source of support during their more than 25-year marriage.
In Sudan, she travelled the country talking to women's organisations in order to build trust, as her husband promulgated messages of peace.
"You marry into the job," muses Makepeace. "She has been very heavily involved in doing half my job really.
"If you go into a partnership like this over more than 25 years now, you do get very heavily involved in the social side of the job." It is no surprise that she and his sons are "looking forward" to the new adventure in Jerusalem.
But Makepeace intends to keep the UAE as a large part of his future itinerary. He says he came here as a tourist long before coming as an ambassador to the country.
"I will continue to come, not least to see what I am sure will be spectacular new changes, new projects and new developments which are rolling out now.
"The UAE has achieved in decades what Europe achieved in centuries," the ambassador says. "It really is absolutely to see the names on railway timetables or airline timeta- bles, but actually to visit these places... and I have certainly not been disappointed. It has been a fascinating part of the world in which to work."
Heavy Investment
Makepeace moved to the UAE in 2003 at the onset of the Iraq war, and is poised to leave again as war rages in Lebanon. But to Britain, the UAE has always been a dia- mond in the rough in the explosive region, contends the ambassador. Heavy flows of investment travel in both directions - evi- dent in the 140-plus weekly direct flights between the two countries, the one million British visitors who vacation in the UAE each year and the 120,000 British who call the country their home. Unlike many countries in the West - and particularly the United States - the United Kingdom understands that the Middle East cannot be grouped under one banner, particularly during wartime.
"The history of our involve- ment means that we tend not to regard the Middle East as a huge amorphous region," explains Makepeace. "Currently, of course, we all think of Lebanon, where there are serious, serious problems and a serious crisis going on. But there are also massive success stories, and the UAE is perhaps the best among these." Reiterating its commitment to the UAE, the UK this week identified the country as one of 10 emerging markets in which it will strive to enhance the two-way flow of trade and investment, alongside such big global players as India, China, Brazil and Russia.
"Of course the UAE is not remotely in a position to com- pete in terms of market size with a country like Brazil or India, let alone China," says Makepeace. "But sometimes the attractiveness of the UAE is underweighted because people look at it in terms of the size of the market. We are looking at the UAE as a focus for trade in the entire region. We feel that there is a big competitive advantage."
Stunning Development
Long before moving to the UAE, Makepeace began his Middle East career in neigh- bouring Oman in 1979. He describes his experience, returning to the Gulf state 22 years later, after assuming his role as UK ambassador here. "Seeing the development 25 years on is stunning," observes Makepeace.
"I think I just about managed to find the house I used to live in while I was in Madinat Qaboos, but whereas it used to be sur- rounded by desert, now it is very much in a leafy suburb of Muscat. And the huge strides that have been made in edu- cation and industrialisation speak for themselves." From 1995 to 2002, Makepeace tackled areas of deep-seated conflict while sta- tioned in Egypt and Sudan.
"I was deputy to the ambas- sador in Cairo, and spent a lot of my time dealing with the Egyptians on things relat- ing to the Arab-Israel dispute, obviously Egypt plays a tremendously important, very positive role," he says. In Khartoum, Makepeace's team focused on conflict pre- vention and encouraging the peace process between the North and the South of the country that led to the sign- ing of a peace deal in 2004, ending a 21-year civil war.
"We put a huge effort into developing the North-South peace process," emphasises Makepeace. "Sadly, of course, there still continues a very serious conflict in Darfur, which we are all making great efforts to find solutions to. "But I think it is sometimes forgotten that there was an all- enveloping North-South civil war in Sudan, on and off for virtually 40 years, and a lot of international effort during my time went into trying to resolve that and to bring about the treaty, which brought about the new constitution."
World View
In Jerusalem, Consul General Makepeace will have an opportunity to leave a lasting mark on the peace process in the coming four years. The ambassador's strides in the region are far greater than he could have dreamed of as a child; his family barely trav- elled outside of Britain, he says, and he is the only one to take his career overseas. In this way, Makepeace's two sons - aged 30 and 17 - have enjoyed a much more "international outlook".
While they completed all of their schooling in Britain, his sons' exposure to different cultures has opened their eyes to globalisation and the world beyond Britain's borders, the ambassador says. "I am delighted that my children have a much more international outlook than I had," he relates. "I think that is what you need in this globalised world: you need to be able to look at the international issues and look at career opportunities all over the place." It is his wife Rupmani, though, who has been his con- stant source of support dur- ing their more than 25-year marriage.
In Sudan, she travelled the country talking to women's organisations in order to build trust, as her husband prom- ulgated messages of peace. "You marry into the job," muses Makepeace. "She has been very heavily involved in doing half my job really. "If you go into a partner- ship like this over more than 25 years now, you do get very heavily involved in the social side of the job." It is no surprise that she and his sons are "looking for- ward" to the new adventure in Jerusalem.
But Makepeace intends to keep the UAE as a large part of his future itinerary. He says he came here as a tourist long before coming as an ambas- sador to the country. "I will continue to come, not least to see what I am sure will be spectacular new changes, new projects and new developments which are rolling out now. "The UAE has achieved in decades what Europe achieved in centuries," the ambassador says. "It really is absolutely stunning."
By Daliah Merzaban
© Emirates Today 2006
