Obama consults Gulf leaders; Egypt thanks UAE

Obama consults Gulf leaders; Egypt thanks UAE (Agencies) / 11 July 2013 US President Barack Obama on Tuesday spoke by phone to two Middle Eastern allies — General Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces; and the Amir of Qatar, His Highness Shaikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani — to discuss Egypt developments. The phone calls came at a time when $12 billion in aid from Egypt’s wealthy Gulf allies bought Cairo a window of several months to try and stabilise its politics and repair its state finances. The White House has said also it will not immediately cut off aid to Egypt as it reviews the tense and evolving situation. On top of a total of $8 billion that the UAE and Saudi Arabia offered on Tuesday, Kuwait on Wednesday pledged a further $4 billion. “The President encouraged the UAE to underscore in its engagements with Egyptians the importance of avoiding violence and taking steps to enable dialogue and reconciliation,” the White House said in a statement about Obama’s call with Gen. Shaikh Mohammed.  “The President and Shaikh Tamim agreed that a political process that includes participation by all parties and groups is critical for Egypt’s stability,” the White House said in a separate statement about Obama’s call with the Qatari Amir. The United States has cautiously welcomed a plan by Egypt’s interim government to hold quick elections but says it’s not taking sides in the conflict. Meanwhile, Tamer Mansour, Egyptian Ambassador to the UAE, said that people of Egypt would never forget the UAE’s generous support towards them under the wise leadership of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Ambassador recalled the first visit of a high-level Arab and Foreign official delegation to Egypt after the June revolution by the UAE, saying that it stemmed from brotherly relations. The Egyptian community in the UAE, in a cable, thanked Shaikh Khalifa for his support to the people of Egypt, the will of Egyptians and their right to freedom and to choose their leaders. The Egyptian community expressed “utmost appreciation and gratitude for the leadership and the people of the UAE for their unwavering efforts to back the Egyptian people in its march towards freedom, and for their respect to its will, as this reflects the solid long-standing friendship and ties between the people of the UAE and Egypt.” Taylor Scott International