UAE seeks better ties with Iraqi cleric to curb Iranian influence

BAGHDAD: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) signalled its desire to strengthen ties with Iraq during weekend talks with influential Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr as part of efforts by Sunni nations of the Middle East to halt Iran’s growing regional influence.

Sadr met Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy commander of the UAE armed forces on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, according to a senior aide of the cleric. Sadr also discussed ways of improving understanding between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam, at a meeting yesterday with a prominent Sunni cleric in Abu Dhabi.

The UAE is among Sunni nations which feel threatened by Iran’s increased power in the region, often projected through allied Shia groups in Iraq and Lebanon.

“The two sides emphasised the importance to act in true Islamic spirit and reject violence and extremist thought,” Sadr’s office in Baghdad said on his website yesterday. He was reporting on his meeting with Emirati cleric Ahmed al-Kubaisi. Closer ties with Sadr, who commands a large following among the urban poor of Baghdad and southern Iraq, could help Sunni states loosen Tehran’s grip over Iraq’s Shia community and contain its influence.

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain severed relations with Qatar in June, accusing the major gas-exporting Gulf state of financing terrorism, meddling in the affairs of Arab countries and cosying up to their arch-rival Iran.

Sadr is one of few Iraqi Shia leaders to keep some distance from Iran. In April, he became the first Iraqi Shia leader to call on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, marking his difference with Iran and Iranian-backed Iraqi militias backing the Syrian government. – Reuters