Nothing is off limits in UK-UAE relationship: Cameron

DUBAI - Strong relations between the UAE and Britain are not limited to being just about people and prosperity, said British Prime Minister David Cameron who held key talks with His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during a visit of the UAE on Monday.

“Nothing is off the limits in the relationship” between the UAE the UK, according to Cameron who said the two countries are like “a family. When you are close friends and partners, it is like a family. You have to be able to discuss the difficult things as well as the easy things. That is the sort of relationship that we have. It is based on mutual respect and understanding and it is not a relationship based on lecturing.”

Shaikh Mohammed, General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Shaikh Hamdan and Shaikh Maktoum with British Prime Minister David Cameron at Zabeel Palace in Dubai on Monday. — Wam

The talks between Shaikh Mohammed and Cameron also took stock of the current political and security situation in the Middle East amid the backdrop of political transformations the Arab World is currently undergoing.

The whistle-stop tour by the British Premier saw him take a ride on the Metro, promote UK business at the Big 5 exhibition currently underway in Dubai and speak his mind to students at the Zayed University in Abu Dhabi.

General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, were also present on the occasion.

The meeting was also attended by Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai; Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister; Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Aviation Authority and Chairman of Emirates Group; Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; and Reem Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State.

Also present were Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani, Director-General of the Dubai Ruler’s Court; Abdulrahman Ghanem Al Mutaiwee, UAE Ambassador to the United Kingdom; and Dominic Jermey, British Ambassador to the UAE.

Cameron stressed that the strong relations with the UAE are not limited to being just about people and prosperity. “It is also about security and stability. There is already very strong and enduring partnership between the UK and UAE, that is not only about people and prosperity. There is also a partnership for prosperity and it is extra open in terms of welcoming investments.”

The talks also tackled conditions of the British community in the UAE where Cameron expressed his gratitude to Shaikh Mohammed for the care the UAE leadership, as well as the official and non-official circles, lend to the British companies operating in the UAE and to the members of the British community.

During his talk with students at the Zayed University, Cameron insisted that the UK’s support to human rights worldwide does not mean it lectures or preaches to other countries that have different approaches to democracy and reforms.

“The UK very much strongly believes that giving people jobs and voice is vital for creating stable and prosperous societies. And we have initiatives supporting around the world, but that does not mean that we preach or lecture.”

“Different countries take different pathways to becoming more open societies.”

Cameron stressed that “We should be respectful of the different journey countries can take and we should be respectful of different traditions and different cultures.

“But I do think that standing up for human rights and standing up for the right of people to have jobs and voice around the world is important.”

Further commenting on the EU Parliament’s resolution on human rights in the UAE, the British premier said: “Three quarters of the students (who were interacting with him) in the hall at Zayed University were women.”

He lashed out at the UN for its failure to take a strong stance against the Syrian regime, insisting that embattled President Bashar Al Assad must go. “I think in the case of Syria, the United Nations has let the world down,” Cameron said.

Cameron will visit Saudi Arabia on Tuesday before travelling to another destination in the Middle East.

High on his agenda will be selling the BAE Systems-built Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet. BAE officials say the Emirates has shown interest in ordering up to 60 Typhoons.

The UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, who was with Cameron as he showed off the Typhoon at an airfield, said commercial links had not been impacted by politics.

Gargash also said the West should be wary of supporting opposition groups born out of the Arab Spring protests.

“Many people are still caught in the euphoria of the Arab Spring, but in reality what we’re seeing currently in the Arab Spring is basically an entrenchment of conservative religious parties. They’re taking control,” Gargash said.

Gargash said criticism of the UAE was often exaggerated and inaccurate, and while not perfect, the Emirates has a “forward looking, secular, and open” agenda.

(With inputs from and Agencies)

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