The foreign policy of the United Arab Emirates is based upon a set of guiding principles, laid down by the country's first President, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He derived these from his deep belief in the need for justice in international dealings between states, including the necessity of adhering to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of others and the pursuit, wherever possible, of peaceful resolutions of disputes, together with a support for international institutions, such as the United Nations. Only thus, he believed, could the rights of the weak and powerless be defended. In developing this approach, he brought into play his own experiences on the need for collaboration and consultation, gained during his involvement in the governance of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and in the bringing together of the seven emirates into the Federation of the UAE.
Within the Arabian Gulf region, and in the broader Arab world, the UAE has sought to enhance cooperation and to resolve disagreement through a calm pursuit of dialogue. Thus one of the central features of the country's foreign policy has been the development of closer ties with its neighbours in the Arabian Peninsula. The Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (AGCC), grouping the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, was founded at a summit conference held in Abu Dhabi in May 1981, and has since become, with strong UAE support, an effective and widely-respected grouping.
At the broader level of the Arab world as a whole, Sheikh Zayed was committed to the re-building of a sense of common purpose amongst both its people and its governments. He supported, therefore, the strengthening of common institutions, like the League of Arab States, while recognising that the achievement of progress required not a fruitless search for unanimity but, rather, working to achieve a consensus on key issues.
A key feature of UAE policy within the Arab world has been a consistent support for the rights of the Palestinian people to recover their land and to establish their own state, with Jerusalem as its capital, within the context of a just and lasting peace agreement with Israel. That support has been unstinting, while, at the same time, the UAE has always emphasised that it is for the Palestinians themselves to choose how best to pursue their objectives.
While seeking to promote consensus and reconciliation between Arab states on key issues, the UAE has also made it plain, throughout its existence, that there are certain basic principles which must be maintained. One is that of the need for states to maintain relations based upon mutual respect and a lack of interference in the affairs of others, while another has been the inadmissibility of territorial gain based upon force. Thus not only has the UAE rejected Israeli claims to occupied Palestinian territories, but it also supported its Gulf sister state of Kuwait when the latter was invaded and occupied by Iraq in 1990-1991.
The UAE itself has foreign policy issues related to its territorial integrity. Since 1971, the three Gulf islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb have been occupied by Iran. While holding fast to its demand that the islands should be returned, the UAE, in accordance with the policy laid down by Sheikh Zayed, has always adopted a policy of seeking to resolve the dispute by peaceful means, whether through meaningful bilateral negotiations, or through reference to the International Court of Justice, or through international arbitration. Sadly, no progress was made on this issue during the course of 2005.
Another territorial issue to receive attention during 2005 was that of the UAE's borders with Saudi Arabia. In June, the UAE publicly stated, for the first time, its position, dating back 30 years, that there should be a review of the need for amendments to the 1974 provisional agreement signed between the two countries, but not formally ratified. Following a visit to the UAE by the Saudi Minister of Interior to Abu Dhabi in June, Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Deputy Premier and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, noted that 'a brotherly, frank and transparent dialogue on certain boundary issues' had taken place. 'The UAE said that some parts of the 1974 boundary agreement can no longer be implemented. The UAE, therefore, presented fundamental amendments to these parts of the agreement . . . The (UAE's) stance in this respect is not new, since the UAE has been expressing the same position since 1975,' he said.
A negotiated solution to the issue, which concerns mainly the southern border, close to the UAE's Zarrara oilfield, and the Khor al-Odaid area, in the west, is being actively sought.
During the course of the year, however, the UAE and
Oman formally signed maps delineating the borders between the two countries
from Umm az-Zamul, in the south, northwards to east Eqaidat. The original
agreement on the borders was signed in 1999.
Beyond the Arab world, the United Arab Emirates has pursued a policy of seeking, wherever possible, to build friendly relations with other nations, both in the developing and in the industrialised world. While this policy is implemented at a bilateral level, another important feature of UAE policy has been its support for international bodies, like the United Nations and its various agencies. Through its support for such bodies, it seeks to reinforce the rule of international law, and to support the implementation of internationally agreed conventions, so as to protect the interests of the small, the weak and the powerless.
The UAE has shown its support for legitimate multilateral action not only through its extensive programme of support for the UN and its agencies, but also by supporting peacekeeping operations, such as UNISOM II in Somalia and the international force sent to protect the Muslims of Kosovo in the late 1990s, the UAE being the only Arab and Muslim country to take part in the latter.
Characterised by prudence, a support for conciliation and consensus, as well as for international institutions, yet also by a readiness, if necessary, to support the use of force to defend the rights of the weak, UAE foreign policy in the years since the state was established has also been noteworthy for its consistency, thanks to the fact that the architect of the policy, Sheikh Zayed, continued throughout to guide its implementation until late 2004.
During 2005, under the leadership of President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, that policy has remained unaltered. Many of the key issues have remained the same as in previous years and, in particular the UAE has focused attention on continuing problems in the region, such as those affecting Iraq, the people of Palestine and Afghanistan. The UAE has also continued to work with other countries, both within the region and from outside, to fight the continuing scourge of terrorism.
In the immediate area of the Arabian Gulf, the development of relations between the six member states of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (AGCC) has been one focus of activity during the course of the past year. This is seen by President HH Sheikh Khalifa as being a fundamental element in the UAE's foreign policy
'I strongly believe that the Gulf region is one entity and one area,' he has said. 'Unity is strength. It is my hope that we would be able to forge a greater union or federation, across the Gulf, not just in the UAE, and the success of our federation in the UAE is a cause for hope. Unity is a conviction and a belief.'
Sheikh Khalifa visited
Qatar at the end of 2004 for discussions on the burgeoning links between the
two states, which include the Dolphin pipeline project that will bring gas
from Qatar's North field to the UAE, and the planned causeway and bridge
that will run from the UAE's Sila'a peninsula to Qatar.
The President also visited Saudi Arabia in July, to pay condolences to King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz on the death of his brother and predecessor, King Fahd, and, earlier in the year, following his election as UAE President, also visited Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.
The UAE continued to express its support for the Palestinians and for efforts designed to revitalise the peace process. Besides providing diplomatic and other support to the Palestine National Authority, under its new leader, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), the UAE also extended substantial aid in the form of the funding of new housing and other projects (see Foreign Aid). One of these, announced in July, was a plan for a Sheikh Khalifa City to be built in Gaza, on land occupied by illegal Israeli settlements until these were abandoned in the second half of the year as part of a planned, partial Israeli withdrawal.
Throughout the year, the United Arab Emirates continued to extend all possible support to the international fight against terrorism, while emphasising the necessity both of a clear definition of terrorism and of ensuring that terrorism perpetrated by states should not be overlooked.
The scourge of terrorism has continued during 2005 to pose an important challenge to the international community, both within the region and further afield. The UAE has supported efforts by the Government of Iraq to overcome the terrorists who have been indiscriminately targeting government officials and civilians, including women and children. It also expressed its condemnation of the murder of foreign diplomats in Iraq. The UAE continues to offer its assistance to the Iraqi Government and people to rebuild their state and society, urging all communities within the country to work together in such a way as to restore internal stability and to facilitate Iraq's full return to the community of nations
Terrorism, of course, has not been confined to Iraq over the course of the last year, and the UAE has also expressed its full condemnation of terrorist attacks that have occurred elsewhere, such as those which took place in Kuwait in January, in Qatar in March, and in July in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh and in the British capital, London. In a statement on the London explosions on 7 July, Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, noted that 'the UAE condemns in the strongest possible terms these horrific crimes, (and) expresses its full support for the British government and for all measures it may take to deal with these crimes.
In keeping with its belief that all nations should work together to eradicate the scourge of terrorism, including those who facilitate and fund it, UAE Minister of Interior Lt General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, followed up Sheikh Hamdan's remarks with an offer to provide any possible help to the British authorities in trying to track down those responsible.
The UAE also condemned the two individual murders that occurred in Lebanon during the year, of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and of politician and journalist Samir Qaseer.
In June, the Cabinet approved the UAE's adhesion to the International Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism and the International Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, while the UAE Central Bank continued to work closely with other Central Banks and financial institutions to crack down on any financial transactions believed to be related to possible financing of terrorism.
In more general terms, the UAE has continued throughout the year to work on building bilateral relations with countries throughout the world, and there was the usual steady flow of high-ranking visitors from other countries to the Emirates.
In June, the Cabinet approved the UAE's adhesion to the International Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism and the International Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, while the UAE Central Bank continued to work closely with other Central Banks and financial institutions to crack down on any financial transactions believed to be related to possible financing of terrorism.
In more general terms, the
UAE has continued throughout the year to work on building bilateral
relations with countries throughout the world, and there was the usual
steady flow of high-ranking visitors from other countries to the Emirates.
An important visitor
in March was the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, who described the UAE
as an 'anchor of stability' in the region. A number of major commercial
agreements were signed during the visit, covering the defence, power,
transport and other sectors.
Another important visit, in July, was by Australia's Prime Minister, John Howard. In recent years, bilateral relations between the UAE and Australia have been developing rapidly. These are not only in the sphere of trade and investment, where the recent conclusion of a free-trade agreement is expected to provide further stimulus, but in other areas as well, like tourism and the number of UAE students undertaking courses in Australian universities. Other links are developing in the oil industry, with Australia's largest oil company, Woodside, partnering Abu Dhabi's Liwa Energy in exploration in Libya.
Another important development in terms of the country's foreign trade relations was the initiation, early in 2005, of negotiations with the United States on the conclusion of a free-trade agreement. Similar agreements have already been signed by a number of other member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and, when completed, the UAE-USA agreement will facilitate an increased inflow of US investment into the UAE economy.
Other governmental visitors to the UAE included senior officials from the United States, Britain, China, Canada, Spain, the Ukraine, Pakistan, China, Singapore, South Africa, Tanzania and the Seychelles, as well as a number of top Arab officials, including the heads of state of Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Morocco.
Besides the visits by President Sheikh Khalifa to the other member states of the GCC, UAE officials also made a number of important visits overseas, designed to promote political, economic and defence relationships. Two such visits were made by delegations headed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, to Pakistan, for talks with President Musharraf, to France, for talks with President Chirac, and to Egypt, for talks with President Mubarak.
The UAE also took part in the Arab summit in Algeria in March, its delegation being led by Fujairah Ruler and Supreme Council member Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi.
The country was represented at the funeral of Pope John Paul in Rome and at that of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri by Minister of Information and Culture Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Building relations between the UAE and other countries is not, of course, simply a matter for discussions and an exchange of visits between governments. Parliamentarians and others also have a key role to play. In June, a large delegation of parliamentarians from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) visited the Emirates at the invitation of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Made up of members of the NATO Assembly's Defence Committee, the delegation was the first of its kind to visit the Emirates. Members were briefed on the UAE's defence policy and other issues.
As noted at the beginning of this section of the Yearbook, the UAE has always sought, since its establishment, to work with and to support the United Nations and its specialised agencies. During 2005, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior worked closely with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on the repatriation of several hundred young children who had formerly been working as camel jockeys in the Emirates.
The use of children, from South Asia, North-East Africa and Mauritania, as camel jockeys, had long been common in the Emirates, but there had been rising concern in recent years about the treatment of the children. It had become apparent, for example, that their parents had, in many cases, been tricked by traffickers, while some had even been kidnapped in their home countries. In accordance with UAE legislation and with the provisions of international convention signed by the UAE, it was, therefore, decided that the use of children under the age of 18 as camel jockeys was to be banned.
The federal law on the topic was signed by President Sheikh Khalifa in July. Prior to that, the Ministry of Interior had already signed an agreement with UNICEF to help in the collection of the children from their employers and in their repatriation.
In a comment on the agreement, June Kunuji, the UNICEF representative in the Gulf Region, said: 'We at UNICEF are pleased to have entered into a partnership agreement with the Government of the United Arab Emirates, and would like to commend them for making the commitment to provide support to the children formerly involved in camel racing, including for their protection, recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration into their families and communities.' By September 2005, well over 2000 children had been taken into care by the Ministry of Interior and UNICEF, with most of them being sent back to their countries of origin.
Another indication of the UAE's support for international law and the various international agencies was the decision, early in the year, to ratify the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, becoming one of the first major oil-producing countries to do so. The Kyoto Protocol lays down targets for the reduction of atmospheric emissions that may contribute to climate change, and implementation of its targets is likely to be a costly exercise for oil producers. In line with its commitment to protection of the environment, however, the UAE is determined to do all that it can to implement the terms of the protocol. It is also a member of the working group reviewing Article 4 of the framework convention, and is the Asian representative in the Kyoto Protocol Executive Office.