April 20, 2015,
ByJay Solomon
Abu Dhabi crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrives to give his country’s condolences for King Abdullah, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 24, 2015.
Associated Press
President Barack Obama‘s sales pitch to garner support from the Arab states for his Iran diplomacy pushes forward this week when he lunches Monday with the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The U.A.E. is among Washington’s staunchest allies in the Middle East. But along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and Jordan, the country has voiced wariness about an emerging nuclear deal between Washington and Tehran which would lift sanctions on Iran in exchange for a capping of its nuclear program.
Mr. Obama is aggressively lobbying the Arab states to back the agreement, which U.S. officials believe could be the president’s signature foreign policy success.
On May 14-15, he’s hosting leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council – a regional body compromised of the U.A.E., Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar – at the White House and Camp David. Sheikh Mohammed’s support is key to winning the GCC’s overall backing, say U.S. and Arab officials.
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The GCC countries are seeking greater security assurances from the White House to guard against what they believe is the mounting threat posed by Iran in the region. Arab leaders have warned Washington that Iran could use the economic windfall from a nuclear agreement with the West to expand its regional influence and support for insurgent groups.
Sunni Saudi Arabia has publicly accused Shiite-dominated Iran of financing and arming Shiite rebels in Yemen who’ve taken control of the country’s capital, San’a, and forced President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to flee.
Greater security assurances for the U.A.E. and the GCC could include new arms sales, an increased U.S. military footprint in the Persian Gulf and the establishment of clear red lines that could prompt U.S. military action against Iran.
The U.A.E. is part of the U.S.-led military coalition that has launched military strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq. Sheikh Mohammed’s government is also backing Saudi Arabia’s airstrikes in Yemen against the Houthi insurgents.
The U.A.E. has emerged as a major buyer of American- and European-made arms. Last year, Abu Dhabi spent around $23 billion on arms, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which tracks the global arms trade.
The Obama administration is being challenged to maintain the unity of its Arab allies.
Last week in Washington, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a Shiite politician, publicly reprimanded Saudi Arabia for its military operations in Yemen. He said the campaign risked sparking a broader sectarian war between Sunnis and Shiites.
His comment sparked a quick reprimand from Riyadh. And the White House publicly reaffirmed it support for the Saudis’ activities.
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