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FNC calls on Iran to resolve islands dispute peacefully

SANTIAGO - The Parliamentary Committee of the Federal National Council (FNC) has called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to resolve the issue of the occupied UAE islands of Abu Musa, Greater and Lesser Tunbs peacefully through the International Court of Justice.

In a statement issued at the meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Santiago, the FNC also reaffirmed the sovereignty of the UAE over the occupied islands, including their regional waters, airspace, economic zones and coral reefs, as part and parcel of the mainland UAE.

The statement, read by Ahmed bin Shabib Al Dhahiri, First Deputy Speaker of the FNC, who is leading the parliamentary delegation to IPU meeting, pointed out that the UAE had been keen to uphold the principles of peace, mutual respect and cooperation in its bilateral, regional and international relations. It has also been keen to ensure that the greater interests and aspirations of nations for peace and prosperity are safeguarded, said Al Dhahiri.

"The UAE, out of its keenness to promote global peace and security, has been a strong proponent of resolution of disputes through peaceful means. This is the concept on which the UAE foreign policy is based, and it is on this concept that we have repeatedly called on Iran to respond to our initiative of either resolving this dispute through direct talks or through the International Court of Justice and in accordance with the UN charter," Al Dhahiri told the world parliamentarians.

Al Dhahiri added that the UAE continued to pursue this peaceful approach in resolving the issue, saying that the latest endeavour in this regard was the visit to Iran last year by Shaikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. The UAE hopes the visit would narrow the gap between the two countries on the issue, he said.

He also stressed the need for concerted efforts among world's parliaments in view of the ever-growing challenges. "The current global situation in general and the Middle East in particular has proven that peaceful resolution of conflcits through the UN mechanism and the international law is the only guarantee to global stability and peace," he said.

He also renewed FNC support to the efforts made by the UAE leadership prior to the outbreak of war in Iraq and deplored the degeneration of the Iraqi crisis into a full scale conflict, of which the civilian population would pay the price. On the issue of terrorism, Al Dhahiri noted that the phenomenon of global terrorism constitutes a threat to the world economy as well as to peace and security.

"While the UAE remained committed to relevant UN resolutions on combating this threat, it strongly condemns all forms of terrorism, including the Israeli terrorism on the Palestinian people," said Al Dhahiri.

He called for an international conference on global terrorism, one which will lead to a consensus on the definition of terrorism.

He also re-affirmed the commitment of the UAE to the Palestinian cause, a commitment, he said, would continue until the Palestinian people gain their indepedent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Al Dhahiri underlined poverty as one of the most ominous threats that the world has come to face at the turn of this century, especially in view of the fact that many countries, obsessed with security concerns, are spending more money on defence and leaving their population in poverty.

He also noted that many developing countries are being afflicted by man made disasters, which is also worsening the already bad conditions in those countries.

• UAE