I discussed this on John Gambling’s show in New York this morning:
1. “U.S. and UAE forge nuclear cooperation deal,” by Borzou Daragahi for the Los Angeles Times, December 16:
The United States and the United Arab Emirates have hammered out a nuclear cooperation deal that would bring U.S. atomic technology and know-how to a site less than a hundred miles from Iran’s shores, an envoy from the Persian Gulf monarchy confirmed Monday to state media….
2. “Raytheon gets UAE order worth up to $3.3 billion,” by Michelle Donley for MarketWatch, December 18:
Raytheon Co. said Thursday that it has been awarded an order of up to $3.3 billion to provide advanced Patriot air and missile defense capability, whole life support and training for the United Arab Emirates. The company said that it has worked with Lockheed Martin as well as the U.S. and UAE governments over the past year to develop this agreement.
3. “FM: UAE committed to maintaining good bilateral ties with Iran,” from Xinhua, December 19:
ABU DHABI, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) — The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is committed to maintaining good bilateral relations with Iran, Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in a report published Friday on local newspaper Gulf News.
Iran is an important neighbor of the UAE and the two countries enjoy many important common interests and ties, Sheikh Abdullah said.
“On this basis, we hope that the establishment of the UAE-Iranian Ministerial Joint Committee will give a positive push to the existing relations between the two countries,” a statement by Sheikh Abdullah to the Gulf News was quoted as saying.
The remarks were made in response to the issue of search procedures of Iranian visitors at UAE airports that raised concerns of Iranian authorities, according to the report.
The UAE thinks it is necessary and important that all issues potentially affecting bilateral relations with Iran must be resolved in a proper and timely manner. “There is no doubt that there is an urgent need for a solution to the issues,” Sheikh Abdullah said.
“We asked the Iranians to task the UAE-Iranian Consular Joint Committee, due to meet later this month, with resolving the issue and ensuring that proper search procedures are followed. This is based on our belief that the interests of both countries make it necessary to contain any reasons for misunderstanding and resolve them,” he added.
Reassuring!