The UAE welcomed an initiative by European leaders to ease tension with Iran and open a diplomatic path, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Anwar Gargash, said on Monday.
Tension in the region has increased recently after attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities, which Washington blamed on Iran.
Tehran denied the accusations and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are backed the Iranian regime, claimed responsibility.
Leaders of Britain, France and Germany issued "a joint statement holding Iran responsible for the missile attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities in Abqaiq," Dr Gargash wrote in the Financial Times.
"They also called for new comprehensive talks to address Iran’s nuclear weapons programme."
The European officials pledged to try to ease tension in the Middle East and urged Iran to “refrain from choosing provocation and escalation".
By holding Iran to account, the three European states, or E3, “can discourage future attacks” and make room for diplomacy, Dr Gargash wrote.
Iran responded on Monday by saying that the attack on the kingdom’s oil sites was an act of “legitimate defence” by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
But Dr Gargash wrote that addressing Iran’s destabilising behaviour would enable the UAE to have a “productive relationship” with Tehran.
“With persistence, the E3 can open up a new channel of communication and establish greater trust," he said.
"They can help Tehran understand that the Gulf has achievable expectations. We only want Iran as a normal neighbour.
“Iran must permanently end its pursuit of nuclear weapons, cease the development and proliferation of ballistic and other missiles, end support for violent proxy groups and respect the sovereignty of other nations.
“There is an opening for Iran to reach a new understanding with its neighbours and the world.”
Dr Gargash urged Tehran to seize the opportunity “to refocus its attention on its own people rather than on its proxies abroad”.
The development would enable Iran to re-enter “the global trading system, build prosperity and expand opportunity", he said. "It is a blueprint for a new, shared and more stable regional order."
This is one of the central factors of the UAE’s foreign policy, Dr Gargash said.
“We have always seen enormous potential in the relationship and we believe that no country would benefit more than Iran itself,” he said.
“The UAE, Iran and other states can share the Gulf as normal neighbours, if not as the best of friends."
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IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
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Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
