United Arab Emirates (UAE) will appoint an ambassador at NATO, a first for an Arab country, announced today the Polish Foreign Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski.
“We are very happy that the UAE will become the first Arab state to open an embassy at NATO”, the Polish minister said after a meeting with his UAE counterpart, Abdullah Ben Zayed Al-Nahyan. A NATO spokeswoman in Brussels confirmed on Wednesday a request made by Abu Dhabi in this regard.
“The Allies will consider the request from UAE soon to open a diplomatic mission”, said Carmen Romero. “This request is part of the new partnership with NATO, approved in Berlin on the occasion of NATO foreign ministers meeting on April 14 and 15”, she added.
According to a NATO diplomat, a decision on UAE request will be taken this week. UAE are part of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, launched at the NATO summit in 2004 and designed to strengthen bilateral security cooperation with countries in the Middle East, writes AFP.
UAE and the neighboring state Qatar are taking part in the NATO-led campaign against the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. This state is preparing to host a meeting of contact group for Libya, in which all countries involved in operations in Libya will participate.
Last week, Sikorski visited, as head of the diplomacy of an European country in Benghazi, to express the European support for the Libyans rebels, but without recognizing the National Transitional Council (CNT) as the only legitimate interlocutor.
“Colonel Gaddafi time is over. We will help CNT to prepare the country for democratization”, the official said.