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UAE Ministers Arrive in Iran to Discuss Bilateral Ties
A high-ranking political delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), led by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, arrived here Monday for a visit to Iran.
During the visit, the delegation, including Information and Culture Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Undersecretary of Interior Ministry Sheikh Seif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will discuss with Iranian officials new ways of expanding Iran-UAE ties, the official IRNA news agency reported.
In addition, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan will, on behalf of UAE President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, offer congratulations for Iran's President Mohammad Khatami's landslide victory in the presidential elections in June, said the news agency.
It is not clear whether the two sides will renew discussions on long-standing territorial disputes between the two Persian Gulf states after a decade-old suspension.
Iran and UAE are at odds over three islands of Abu Mussa, the lesser and the greater Tunbs located near the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.
Iran says that it has controlled the territories since Britain's withdrawal from the region in 1971 while UAE claims full sovereignty over the islands.
In May, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi discussed the disputes in the Qatari capital Doha on the sidelines of a foreign ministerial meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference.��
During the meeting, the two ministers exchanged views and stressed the importance of reaching a settlement of the issue.
UAE wants the issue resolved either through direct talks or by the International Court of Justice. But Iran opposes any interference on the matter by a third party and says it is willing to resolve what it calls a case of "misunderstanding" through talks.
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