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WASHINGTON //Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, yesterday met with Barack Obama, the US president, at the White House to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues.
The leaders underscored the strong and broad-based relationship uniting the two countries and pledged to continue close co-operation, especially in the realm of security and commercial activity, according to WAM, the state news agency. They discussed recent developments in the Middle East, including bilateral and multilateral efforts to improve stability in the region, as well as the prevention and spread of extremism. Sheikh Mohammed also reiterated the UAE's support for international peacekeeping efforts in Libya.
The Crown Prince also met with Robert Gates, the US secretary of defence, as well as with Janet Napolitano, the US secretary of homeland security. In those meetings, he reaffirmed the UAE's strong commitment to a stable and peaceful Middle East while lauding the strategic and military co-operation between the two countries.
He also underscored the importance of the Obama administration's commitment to working with both sides to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Sheikh Mohammed was accompanied by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority, Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court, and Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE Ambassador to the US.
Earlier yesterday, Sheikh Mohammed met Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss areas of military co-operation between the two nations, as well as regional developments, and bilateral and international efforts to strengthen stability in the Middle East.
On Monday, the Crown Prince visited the Children's National Medical Centre in Washington. In 2009, Abu Dhabi donated US$150million (Dh551m) to the CNMC, which opened the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Paediatric Surgical Innovation in September of that year in honour of the late Sheikh Zayed, the founder of the UAE.
Sheikh Mohammed met some of the Emirati families whose children are being treated at the hospital and toured the new, state-of-the-art facility. He was accompanied by Sheikh Abdullah.
The Crown Prince's visit concluded last night with a dinner hosted by Ambassador Otaiba in his honour. Among the guests were Mr Gates; Admiral Mullen, as well as Timothy Geithner, US Treasury Secretary and Leon Panetta, director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Also in attendance were General James N Mattis, Commander of the US Joint Forces Command; White House Chief of Staff William Daley; and National Security Advisor Tom Donilon.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae