UAE recalls envoy to Iran

April 13, 2012

recals


Abu Dhabi, April 13: The UAE on Thursday recalled its ambassador to Iran for consultations, a day after Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan condemned a visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the UAE’s island of Abu Mousa, occupied by Teheran since 1971.

‘The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned today UAE Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran Saif Mohammed Obaid Al Zaabi for consultations,’ a statement said as the latest Iranian provocation drew a chorus of condemnation. The UAE also cancelled a football friendly against Iran scheduled for April 17, at the Fujairah Stadium.

A statement from Yousuf Yaqoub Al Serkal, chairman of the interim committee of the UAE Football Association, said the decision comes in line with the UAE’s denunciation of Ahmedinajad’s visit.


GCC Secretary-General Dr Abdul Latif Al Zayani lambasted Ahmadinejad’s visit to the occupied islands as ‘provocative’ and a ‘flagrant violation’ of the UAE’s sovereignty.

The visit, he stressed, would not change the historic and legal facts and UAE sovereignty over its three occupied islands the Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Mousa.

‘The visit demonstrates an irresponsible provocation and a step that doesn’t cope with the good neighbourliness policy adopted by GCC member states towards Iran nor with the GCC’s persistent peaceful efforts for solving the issues either through direct negotiations or taking the case to the International Court of Justice,’ he said.

The UAE Federal National Council (FNC) said in a statement that the ‘visit is a flagrant violation to the UAE sovereignty over its territories, and a setback to all efforts made by the UAE to put an end to the occupation of the UAE Islands through direct negotiations or resorting to the International Court of Justice’.

The FNC underscored that the visit is contrary to what has been agreed on between the two countries to avoid an escalation over the issue and to create a conducive atmosphere for reaching settlement that consolidates security, stability and good-neighbourliness.

The FNC slammed the provocative rhetoric of the Iranian president during his infamous visit to the UAE territory, calling on Teheran to cease such provocative steps and adopt peaceful approaches that could build confidence and help reach a just settlement to the issue.Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah had on Wednesday condemned the visit in the strongest possible terms, terming it as a ‘flagrant violation’ of the UAE sovereignty and a ‘setback’ to all efforts and attempts the UAE has been making to find a peaceful settlement to Iran’s occupation of the UAE islands.

‘This visit will not change the legal status of these islands which are part and parcel of the UAE national soil,’ Shaikh Abdullah emphasised.

He asserted that the visit and the provocative rhetoric of the Iranian president exposed Iran’s false allegations regarding its keenness to establish good-neighbourliness and friendship with the UAE and countries of the region.

The UAE foreign minister denounced the timing of the visit, saying it comes at a time when the two countries agreed to make more efforts to turn over the page by reaching a solution to the issue, and at a time the UAE has committed to what both countries had agreed out of a desire to create a conducive environment for reaching a solution that enhances stability in the region.

Ahmadinejad’s visit, Shaikh Abdullahhe said, was a gross breach of this agreement.


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Agencies
April 2,2020

Ankara, Apr 2: Saudi Arabia on Thursday declared a 24-hour lockdown in all parts of Makkah and Medina cities as part of measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

"The 24-hour curfew will be imposed in all parts of the cities of Makkah and Medina, with a ban on entry and exit from both cities," the Saudi Interior Ministry said on Twitter.

The lockdown starts from Thursday “until further notice.”

All commercial activities inside the residential neighborhoods of the two cities were also prohibited, except for pharmacies, food products stores, gas stations and banking services, the ministry said.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has spread to at least 180 countries and regions, according to U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Its data shows the number of confirmed cases worldwide have surpassed 962,900, with the death toll over 49,100 and more than 202,700 recoveries.

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Agencies
July 30,2020

Kuwait will allow citizens and residents to travel to and from the country, starting August 1, the government communication center tweeted on early Thursday, citing a cabinet decision.

The decision excludes residents coming from Bangladesh, Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran, Nepal.

Last month, Kuwait announced it would partially resume commercial flights from August, but does not expect to reach full capacity until a year later, as its aviation sector gradually recovers from a suspension sparked by the Covid-19 crisis.

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Agencies
July 20,2020

Riyadh, Jul 20: Saudi Arabia's King Salman has been admitted to a hospital in the capital, Riyadh, for medical tests due to inflammation of the gallbladder, the kingdom's Royal Court said Monday in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The statement said the 84-year-old monarch is being tested at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital. The brief statement did not provide further details.

King Salman has been in power since January 2015. He is considered the last Saudi monarch of his generation of brothers who have held power since the death of their father and founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz.

King Salman has empowered his 34-year-old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as his successor. The crown prince's assertive and bold style of leadership, as well as his consolidation of power and sidelining of potential rivals, has been controversial.

With the support of his father, Prince Mohammed has transformed the kingdom in recent years, opening it up to tourists and eroding decades of ultraconservative restrictions on entertainment and women's rights as he tries to diversify the Saudi economy away from reliance on oil exports.

The prince has also detained dozens of activists and critics, overseen a devastating war in Yemen, and rounded up top members of the royal family in his quest for power.

The Saudi king has not been seen in public in recent months due to social distancing guidelines and concerns over the spread of the coronavirus inside the kingdom, which has one of the largest outbreaks in the Middle East.

He has been shown, however, in state-run media images attending virtual meetings with his Cabinet and held calls with world leaders.

King Salman, who oversees Islam's holiest sites in Makkah and Medinah, was a crown prince under King Abdullah and served as defense minister. For more than 50 years prior to that, he was governor of Riyadh, overseeing its evolution from a barren city to a teeming capital.

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