UAE welcomes Hassan Rohani’s stance, calls for the restoration of full sovereignty on its islands

The United Arab Emirates welcomed the stance of Iran’s new President, Hassan Rohani, and called upon the international community to urge Iran to respond to repeated peaceful, sincere calls by the UAE for a just settlement of the issue, either through direct negotiation or by referral to the International Court of Justice. UAE Foreign Minister, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said that all action taken by the Iranian occupation authorities are void and run contrary to international law. The following is the abridged speech of the UAE’s Foreign Minister before the General Debate of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York:

Mr. President, we cannot conceal our deep concern at the recent events in the Arab Region which were associated with sectarian strife, escalated terrorist attacks and growing incitement to violence, which led the region into a state of extreme polarisation.

In the Arab Gulf, we see how extremism and terrorism in Bahrain are seeking to sabotage security and stability, and destroy a history of tolerance. The situation was aggravated by the politicisation and exploitation of religion to marginalise other spectrums of society after they all used to live in harmony. All these have led to widespread fears about the fate of the state and the implications of that. You must be aware that such difficult conditions put young people at risk of falling into the clutches of extremism and violence, especially in a climate of growing despair and unemployment.

This clearly affirms the paramount importance of the UAE’s efforts aimed at promoting a culture of moderation and non-violence, and fighting extremism in all its forms. In this regard, I refer in particular to my country’s initiative to establish the Hedayah Centre for Countering Violent Extremism. In this context, I condemn with the strongest terms the cowardly terrorist attack against a commercial centre in Nairobi, Kenya, which resulted in the death of dozens of innocent victims.

Mr. President, The UAE is deeply disappointed at the inability of the international community until now to put an immediate end to the worsening tragedy suffered by the Syrian people. We are deeply concerned about the growing serious implications of this conflict on Syria and the region, and we strongly condemn and reject all crimes against humanity committed by the Syrian regime, especially the chemical attack against Ghota, Damascus, which killed thousands of civilians and children.

We, therefore, call upon the international community to take all necessary measures to punish the Syrian regime for its massacres against its civilians. All of you must be aware of the frustration we feel and the majority of countries in the region feel regarding the disabling of the UN mechanisms from acting against the aggressive acts of the Syrian regime against its people.

The UAE, which has fulfilled its duties regarding on-going relief operations and continues to provide aid, hospitals, tools and medical teams, calls for concerted international and regional efforts to secure the humanitarian needs of displaced Syrians inside Syria and across the borders.

Mr. President, As our region searches for stability and a guiding compass for its future, Egypt emerges as a pivotal state whose stability and domestic peace indicates that the region has begun to recover. The UAE is following with great interest the positive developments in Egypt as it firmly believes in the pivotal role Egypt has in ensuring stability, development and prosperity, and that a stable Egypt is the cornerstone of security and peace, not only in the region but the world.

The UAE recognises the suffering of the Arab region from interference in its internal affairs by others and the ensuing threats to national statehood, and warns against the interference in the internal affairs of Egypt.

All observers are aware of interconnected nature of the issues of the Arab region, where peace emerges as a central and relevant issue.

I wish to take this opportunity to welcome the re-launching of peace talks under the auspices of the United States and we hope that these talks will lead to positive results towards the establishment of a Palestinian state. We also welcome the constructive position of the European Union for its non-recognition of the legitimacy of the Israeli settlements and for ceasing dealings with them.

My Government expresses, once again, its regret regarding the continued Iranian occupation of our three islands: Abu Musa, and Greater and Lesser Tunbs, and demands the restoration of the UAE’s full sovereignty over these islands. We emphasise that all actions and measures taken by the Iranian occupation authorities are null and void, and contrary to international law.

Therefore, we call upon the international community to urge Iran to respond to the repeated peaceful, sincere calls of the UAE for a just settlement, through direct negotiations or by referral to the International Court of Justice. We welcome the declared approach of Hassan Rohani, President of Iran, and we affirm that our country will sincerely build on such approaches.

Mr. President, There is a lot of talk about Iran’s nuclear program, and many suspicions surround it. Therefore, we urge Iran to constructively co-operate with the International Atomic Energy Agency in order to dispel all suspicions surrounding its activities in a transparent and clear manner.

On the other hand, the UAE believes that peaceful use of nuclear energy has become an urgent requirement in order to meet growing demand for energy. We are proud to have a successful pioneering experience in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Mr. President, the UAE has a firm belief in the importance of human development at national and international levels, which can only be achieved through respect for human rights and equality among all people without discrimination on grounds of gender, ethnicity, religion, language or any other reason.

Achieving overall development requires the creation of an environment conducive to tolerance and moderation, free of any incitement to hatred. It is necessary to support and promote dialogue among different cultures and religions, without arrogance or superiority.