Bush applauds Emirates for improving Iraq ties

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, walks with George W Bush, the US president, at Camp David, Maryland.

ABU DHABI // George W Bush, the US president, has applauded the UAE's diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, in particular the country's decision to appoint a new ambassador to Iraq and to wipe out the country's outstanding debt. His comments followed a visit to the US this week by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during which the leaders discussed issues ranging from regional concerns to education programmes.

Dana Perino, the White House press secretary, said: "The president expressed his appreciation to him for the efforts the UAE has made in improving diplomatic relations in the region." The two countries have enjoyed warm relations during Mr Bush's eight years in power. The president visited the UAE in January and welcomed Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, to Camp David in late June. UAE and US officials said the meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, also at the presidential retreat, was a success.

"They had a good meeting," said Ms Perino. "They have developed a good, personal relationship over the course of their meetings." An Emirati source echoed the sentiment, saying the meeting was "very frank" and that Mr Bush was "impressed" by the range of issues Sheikh Mohammed discussed. "The meeting dealt with everything, including peace talks between Palestine and Israel. Both sides stressed the need for peace," said the source.

The UAE was also represented by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Foreign Minister, Reem Ibrahim al Hashimi, Minister of State, who chairs the Dubai Cares board of directors, and Yousef al Otaiba, the new Ambassador to the US. Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, was also in attendance, along with other top officials. Sheikh Mohammed's visit, officials said, highlighted the UAE's strong relationship with the US; the talks were between "like-minded" people.

The Emirates has been active in promoting improved diplomatic relations in the region, in particular between Iraq and the Arab world. Last month, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, announced the surprise decision to write off almost US$7 billion (Dh25.7bn) worth of Iraqi debt left over from the Saddam Hussein era. The UAE was also the first GCC nation to name an ambassador to Baghdad since the US-led invasion in 2003.

The participation of the Iraqi foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, in a meeting last month between regional foreign ministers - attended by Ms Rice - was viewed by Emirati officials as a further step towards "bringing Iraq into the regional fold". Ms Perino said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Mr Bush also discussed Dubai's educational charity programmes during their meeting. "They spent a majority of their time talking about education efforts, especially the ones that the Ruler of Dubai is focused on, improving education around the Arab world," she said.

Mr Bush listened to a presentation by Ms Hashimi about Dubai Cares, an education charity launched in September by Sheikh Mohammed. The charity, which raised more than Dh3.4 billion in eight weeks, is believed to have reached three million children in the Arab world alone since September. The charity announced plans to fund education programmes in Yemen's rural areas last month and, as a result, two million children in the country could soon be attending their first primary-school class.

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