Iranian government denounced for occupying UAE’S three islands
Arab foreign ministers have re-affirmed their support for UAE’S full sovereignty over its three islands occupied by Iran
The foreign ministers of the Arab League (AL) have re-affirmed their commitment to asserting UAE’S full sovereignty over its three Islands of Abu Mousa, Lesser Tunb and Greater Tunb and their support for all the peaceful means and measures taken by the Emirates to restore its sovereignty over the islands.
This came in a resolution by the AL’S Council titled “Iran’s Occupation of UAE’S Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Mousa Islands in the Arabian Gulf.” The resolution was adopted at the end of the AL’S 155th session tonight.
The AL’S Council denounced the Iranian government’s continued occupation of the three islands and its violation of the UAE’S sovereignty in a way that destabilises the region and threatens international peace and security.
Thecouncilcondemnedtheiraniangovernment’s establishment of residential units for Iranian people in the Emirati islands. The ministers in this regard denounced the Iranian military manoeuvres that covered the three islands, including their territorial waters, air space, continental shelve and economic zones, being an integral part of the United Arab Emirates. The council requested Iran to stop such provocative acts which are considered interferences in the internal affairs of an independent, sovereign state in a way that threatens regional stability and endangers the safety of maritime navigation in the region.
The council condemned Iran’s opening of two offices in the Island of Abu Mousa, requesting Iran to remove such illegal establishments and to respect the sovereignty of the UAE. The ministers also condemned the visits paid by senior Iranian officials to the occupied UAE islands, and decried such aggressive steps taken by Tehran.
The council hailed the UAE’S initiatives to find peaceful and fair setlement of the Iranian-occupied islands. The ministers called anew on the Iranian government to end its occupation of the three islands and to stop its atempts to impose status quo, demanding Iran to translate its desire to improve relations with Arab countries and defuse tension into practical steps.
JOINT ARAB ACTION IN FACE OF REGIONAL CHALLENGES: The United Arab Emirates has reaffirmed that a concerted Arab action is needed to confront the challenges beseting the region.
This was stated by the Khalifa Shaheen Almarar, Minister of State, in his address before the Arab League’s (AL) ministerial meetings where he led the UAE delegation to the AL Council’s 155th session which convened today in Cairo.
The minister said that the current period requires pan-arab solidarity to confront the dreaded coronavirus outbreak and develop a sustainable mechanism aimed at accelerating the vaccine rollout in order to survive the health crisis.
He voiced the UAE’S position on a number of issues, including the Palestinian cause, the situation in Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Sudan and Syria, as well as the Houthi atacks on Saudi Arabia and foreign interferences in the internal affairs of Arab nations.
On the Palestinian cause, Almarar reiterated the UAE’S principled position supporting the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the June 4th borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital in line with relevant international resolutions on the two-state solution. The minister emphasised that the UAE stands with the Arab consensus against the illegal practices hampering the two-state solution, calling for breaking the stalemate in the political process and paving the way to resume negotiations in this respect.
He articulated the UAE’S condemnation of the Houthi militia’s systematic atempts to target civilians and civil objects in Saudi Arabia, re-affirming the UAE’S full solidarity with the Kingdom and its stance against all threats to its security, stability, and the safety of its citizens and residents.
On this score, he said that the UAE newly urges Iran to positively respond to its repeated call for direct and peaceful negotiations to “setle the issue of our occupied islands of Abu Mousa, Lesser Tunb and Greater Tunb, or resorting to the International Court of Justice.”
On the Yemeni crisis, he renewed the UAE’S welcome of the Riyadh Agreement to pave the way for defusing the crisis.
On the Syrian front, he said the UAE always sides with the political solution, being the only way out to resolve the crisis, reiterating the country’s support for the efforts made by the UN special envoy to Syria.