UAE territory off-limits for anti-Iran strike – president
18:01|27/ 03/ 2007
ABU DHABI, March 27 (RIA Novosti) – Khalifa bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan,
president of the United Arab Emirates, said Tuesday his country will
not allow anyone to use its territory to conduct anti-Iranian
operations.
The Emirates News Agency WAM quoted al-Nuhayyan as saying in an
interview with the Al-Hayat newspaper, published in London, that the
UAE has refused the use of its territory for aggression against any
country, especially against a neighboring Islamic state.
The president said that a recent message delivered by Sheikh Abdallah
bin Zayid, foreign minister of the UAE, to Iran confirmed that the
country was not involved in the conflict between Iran and the U.S.,
and would not allow anyone to use its territory for any military,
reconnaissance or security operations against Iran.
The Al-Hayat newspaper quoted al-Nuhayyan as saying that the UAE had
always called on Iran to act on a flexible and realistic basis, to
respect international law and obey Resolution 1737 to thwart the
escalation of tension in the region.
Last December, in response to Iran’s unwillingness to give up its
nuclear ambitions, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1737,
which provided for sanctions against Iran banning activities involving
uranium enrichment, chemical reprocessing, heavy water-based projects,
and the production of nuclear weapons delivery systems.
Conversely, Al-Nuhayyan said that he has urged the United States and
Western countries to continue seeking diplomatic means to settle the
conflict with Iran and avoid the use of force, which could escalate
into a regional crisis.
The president of the UAE confirmed that his country and other Persian
Gulf nations would like to diversify their energy supplies, including
through nuclear energy, which, he said, should be used for civilian
purposes only.
The latest reports indicate that Russian reconnaissance officers have
obtained information concerning the mobilization of U.S. military
forces near Iran’s borders.