DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates said yesterday that US Vice President Joe Biden had apologised to the Abu Dhabi crown prince for “any implications” made in a speech indicating that the UAE had supported Islamist militants in Syria.
Biden angered US allies when he suggested in a speech to Harvard University students on Thursday that Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates had extended “billions of dollars and tens of thousands of tonnes of weapons” to Sunni fighters trying to oust the government of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.
The UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash demanded an official explanation for Biden’s remarks, which he said had created “a negative and untrue impression about the role of the UAE”, according to state news agency WAM.
WAM said yesterday that Biden had telephoned Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, over the comments. “In the phone call, Biden offered his apology to the UAE for any implications in his recent statements that may have been understood to mean that the UAE had supported the growth of some of the terrorist organisations in the region,” WAM said. afp
