UAE hopes nuclear deal brings stability to Mideast

Shaikh Khalifa expressed the hope that the agreement will contribute to regional security and stability.

Abu Dhabi - The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has sent a cable to Iranian President Hassan Rohani, congratulating him on the historic nuclear agreement signed in Vienna between Iran and the P5+1 group on Tuesday.
Shaikh Khalifa expressed the hope that the agreement will contribute to regional security and stability.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, sent similar cables to the Iranian president.
Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed later received a telephone call from US President Barack Obama who briefed him on the nuclear deal and the guarantees provided for in the agreement.
Shaikh Mohammed expressed the hope that this agreement would put an end to Iran's military nuclear ambitions and bolster the hope for making the region free of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) to consolidate the foundations of regional and international peace and stability.
President Obama emphasised that the United States will strengthen its partnership with the members of the GCC to counter all security challenges.
Meanwhile, AFP quoted a UAE official as saying the deal could turn a "new page" for the Gulf region. "Iran could play a (significant) role in the region if it revises its policy and stops interfering in the internal affairs of countries like Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen," the UAE official said.
"The new direction we hope to see accompany the historic nuclear deal would demonstrate a genuine desire for Iran to help extinguish fires devouring the region," the official said. "This would move the region away from the discord of sectarianism, extremism and terrorism."
Like its Gulf Cooperation Council partners, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE has repeatedly expressed concern about Iran's nuclear ambitions.
A change of path by Tehran would send a "positive signal that would help the region avoid nuclear proliferation and all the risks this would involve for its security and stability", the Emirati official said.
"Without such a change, we cannot build anything positive, and this will have consequences on the region and its people."

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• MENA