Cheney winds up UAE mission for support for U.S. policies

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney wound up on Saturday his three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which aims at seeking the Gulf country's support for U.S. policies over Iraq and Iran.

Cheney left Abu Dhabi for Saudi Arabia later on Saturday to continue his regional tour in the Middle East, one day ahead of the arrival of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the first of its kind since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.

During his visit in the UAE, Cheney held talks with President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

UAE's official Emirates News Agency did not give details about the content of the meetings, but simply said that the talks covered "the latest developments in the region" and the two sides discussed "ways to enhance bilateral relations".

However, the news agency quoted President Sheikh Khalifa as saying on Saturday that his country supports for international efforts to revive the Middle East peace process.

The UAE is keen to see the reviving of the moribund peace process in the Middle East, as provided in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative reactivated in the 19th Arab summit in Riyadh in late March, he stated, hailing "the strong relations" between the UAE and the United States.

Western media reported that Cheney had sought UAE's support for the U.S. policies over Iraq and Iran, including agreeing to shut down Iranian companies in the country.

The United States has accused the Iranian companies of procuring dual-use goods that can be used in nuclear activities.

On Friday, Cheney also delivered a speech aboard the USS John C. Stennis, warning Iran that the United States will "stand with others to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating this region."

Cheney arrived Thursday in the UAE, the second leg of his Middle East tour, after a two-day surprise visit to Iraq in a fresh effort to press Iraqi leaders to achieve reconciliation among rival factions.

While in Baghdad, Cheney met Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Sunni and Shiite vice presidents, and other government and political leaders.

Cheney said that "we talked about a way ahead in terms of our mutual interests" and Iraq's leaders seemed to "recognize it's in their interests as well as ours to make progress on the political front."

Al-Maliki said he discussed with Cheney about challenges his country was facing and achievements that have been made.

"The meeting with the vice president paved a foundation for practical steps to support our efforts working on both the security front as well as the domestic political issues," he said.

Cheney arrived in Saudi Arabia's northern town of Tabuk later on Saturday after he concluded his visit to UAE.

It was learnt that after the visit to Saudi Arabia, Cheney will head to Egypt and Jordan to wrap up a week-long Middle East visit.

Cheney started his Middle East tour on May 9, which was launched with an aim to encourage Washington's Arab allies to help pull Iraq's minority Sunni Muslims into the country's fragile political process and curb the influence of a rising Iran.

Analysts said that Cheney's visits was at a critical time for Iraq. Months after the surge of U.S. troops, which was seen to buy time and space for Iraqi politicians to achieve reconciliation, there are still no tangible signs of progress.

Source: Xinhua