CROWN PRINCE AND TRUMP IN TALKS TO CURB IRAN
▶ Sheikh Mohammed discusses regional problems with US president
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, has discussed with US President Donald Trump ways to battle Iran’s “destabilising activities”.
The White House disclosed details of the phone call in which they had discussed regional developments.
“The president thanked the Crown Prince for his leadership in highlighting ways all GCC states can better counter Iranian destabilising activities and defeat terrorists and extremists,” it said.
Sheikh Mohammed, also Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, confirmed in a tweet that the two leaders discussed the enhancement of relations, and international issues of common interest.
They agreed on the importance of “regional co-operation and a united GCC to mitigate regional threats and ensure the region’s economic prosperity”, he said
A US delegation is preparing to visit the Gulf next week to explore ways to end the Qatari crisis. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar over its support for extremists and interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
The delegation will include former general Anthony Zinni and deputy assistant secretary of state for Arabian Gulf affairs, Tim Lenderking, who will travel to Gulf capitals including Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Doha.
Mr Zinni was sent by the Trump government to the region last August to help resolve the Qatar dispute. But efforts faltered and a new US push is on to find a settlement, in hopes of gathering the parties for a Camp David summit in the spring.
However, Marcelle Wahba, president of the Arab Gulf States Institute and former US ambassador to the UAE, told The National that resolving the Qatar dispute would not be easy for US officials.
“The Quartet’s concerns about Qatar’s foreign policies go well beyond a neighbourly spat,” Ms Wahba said. “The US will need to assist in identifying the key areas for resolution and maybe play the role of guarantor to a final agreement that all the players would commit to.”
On Monday, a US general warned that Iran had increased arming and support for the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
US Central Command chief Gen Joseph Votel said that Iran was “prolonging the civil war in Yemen, threatening Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and risking expansion of Yemen’s civil war into a regional conflict”.
Yesterday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tehran was ready to discuss regional security issues with its Arabian Gulf neighbours provided foreign powers are kept out of any potential talks.
“We don’t need foreigners to guarantee the security of our region,” Mr Rouhani said in a speech broadcast on state TV.
The US, UK, Germany and France condemned Iran after the UN found it had breached the arms embargo on Yemen by failing to block supplies of missiles and drones to the Houthis.
The condemnation follows Russia’s veto of a UN draft resolution that would have linked Tehran with the transfer of Iranian-made arms to Houthi insurgents in Yemen.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will arrive in Washington on March 19 on an official visit that will include a meeting with US President Donald Trump, The National has learnt.
The visit is Prince Mohammed’s second to Washington since Mr Trump assumed office, but his first since being appointed in the position in June of last year.
He is expected to hold meetings at the White House and with key administration officials until March 22.
Prince Mohammed this week spoke over the phone to Mr Trump, where they discussed ways to counter terrorism in the region.
After Washington, the crown prince will travel to major US cities to discuss economic co-operation, investments and his Vision 2030 with major American stakeholders.
Those cities will include New York, Boston, San Francisco and Seattle.
He visited Silicon Valley in 2016, where he met social media barons and major investors to pitch his economic transformation plan for Saudi Arabia.
Two years later and now a crown prince, he has started to implement his plan with ambitious goals.
These include building a mega city, Neom, with an estimated cost of $500 billion (Dh1.83 trillion).
The visit will continue until early April, when Prince Mohammed will return to Riyadh.
Mr Trump made a historic visit to Saudi Arabia, last year, in which Washington and Riyadh signed a number of deals worth almost $110 billion (Dh440 bn) for the supply of US defence equipment and services to the kingdom.
US companies also announced deals or agreements with Saudi Arabia worth tens of billions of dollars during the visit.