The United Arab Emirates endorses US President Joe Biden’s strategic emphasis on diplomacy in dealing with the Iranian nuclear problem as long as it addresses other issues such as Tehran’s missile program and support to proxy groups, former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Thursday.
Former Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said the United Arab Emirates supports US President Joe Biden’s strategic emphasis on diplomacy in dealing with the Iranian nuclear program.
In remarks during a virtual conference at the Brookings Institution on Thursday Gargash said Abu Dhabi has this tendency “as long as it addresses other issues such as Tehran’s missile program and support to proxy groups.”
“Strategically, the Biden administration is doing the right thing in terms of prioritizing diplomacy,” Gargash was quoted as saying by UrdoPoint’s Fahad Shabbir.
“Are we concerned about missiles, are we concerned about proxy politics? Yes, we are. We need this to be taken into account. So that is really our concern.”
The UAE would support the reinstatement of the nuclear deal, ditched by Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump, as it is with further negotiations on outstanding issues, the Emirati official added.
“We will be supportive of it. But what we want to really know is are other issues going to be addressed,” Gargash said.
He urged the United States to consult with its allies in the Middle East and launch a “comprehensive diplomatic process” for a permanent solution rather than a fast one.
“It’s important in my assessment to get the process going. The idea basically is not only to find a fast solution, the idea is to find a permanent solution. And to find a permanent solution, number 1, you need to prioritize diplomacy, number 2, you need to deescalate, number 3, you need also to listen to the concerns of your neighbors and your friends in the region, us and others,” the former minister added.
The process, Gargash noted, should not only be about the stability of the region but “prosperity.”
Gargash denounced as “a very dangerous talk” routine Israeli statements about the possibility of unilateral military action against Iran.
“I understand the concerns, but again from where we sit here in the Gulf and from the region that has been scarred by too many, too many conflicts other than diplomacy we just see no option, no option at all,” he said.
According to media reports, US and Israel are reconvening a strategic working group to share intelligence and consult ahead anticipated first meaningful steps to revive the nuclear deal.
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