World leaders pay respects in UAE after death of pro-West president
DUBAI (Reuters) -World leaders descended on the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to supply condolences to new chief Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan on the loss of life of his half-brother President Khalifa bin Zayed in a present of help to a key regional participant.
Sheikh Mohammed, now ruler of rich Abu Dhabi emirate, steered the Western-allied Gulf state, an OPEC oil producer and regional enterprise hub, for years earlier than being named the UAE’s third president by a federal supreme council on Saturday.
French President Emmanuel Macron, whose nation holds profitable enterprise and army ties with the UAE, instructed Sheikh Mohammed in Abu Dhabi that the UAE may “rely on France’s friendship” and mentioned the Ukraine battle, the Elysee stated.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated earlier than heading to the Emirati capital that the institution of ties between the UAE and Israel two years in the past was an asset for the entire area constructed by “daring and groundbreaking leaders”, together with Khalifa.
The UAE, together with Bahrain, upended many years of Arab consensus by forging relations with Israel, creating a brand new anti-Iran axis within the area and drawing Palestinian ire.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas traveled to the UAE to supply his condolences whereas Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson was due afterward Sunday in Abu Dhabi.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani additionally visited and met with Sheikh Mohammed, the Qatari Amiri Diwan stated, in a primary such a go to since 2017 when the UAE and Saudi Arabia imposed a boycott on Doha.
Doha and Abu Dhabi had been for years locked in a bitter rivalry over the position of political Islam within the Muslim world. The rift was partially resolved final yr.
U.S. President Joe Biden, whose administration has had fraught ties with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, might be represented by Vice President Kamala Harris, as a result of go to on Monday.
A number of Arab leaders paid respects on Saturday. Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, whose father King Salman entered hospital per week in the past, despatched a delegation.
Sheikh Mohammed, often called MbZ, has been a driving drive in Center East politics, championing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman within the West as he rose to energy and combating political Islam, seen as a menace to Gulf dynastic rule, across the area.
MbZ deepened ties with Russia and China as Gulf states more and more questioned the regional dedication of conventional safety guarantor america. Strains in U.S.-Emirati ties had been highlighted by the Ukraine battle as Gulf states refused to facet with Western allies in isolating Russia.
After years of enmity Abu Dhabi has additionally moved to have interaction with Iran and Turkey because the UAE doubles down on financial progress amid rising regional competitors and a worldwide push away from hydrocarbons, the lifeblood of Gulf economies.
(Further reporting by Andrew Mills in Doha, and Tassilo Hummel, Jeffrey Heller and Steven Scheer; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous;Enhancing by Raissa Kasolowsky, Emelia Sithole-Matarise, William Maclean)
