UAE aims to strike balance on Iran sanctions

Abu Dhabi: The UAE Government is discussing its approach to United Nations sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear programme, a top official has said.

"There are a lot of legitimate transactions taking place and I think it is extremely important to have that balance right, between our international commitments on the one hand and also between the fact that a lot of the transactions that we do have are legitimate," said Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs, in a statement Monday.

Consultation

Gargash's comments came after US Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey held discussions in Abu Dhabi on how the UAE and other countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council can help to implement fresh sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme, a person familiar with the discussions at the UAE Foreign Ministry told Gulf News.

"It was not an emergency visit. It was a visit which was scheduled several weeks ago to discuss the bilateral relationship between the US and the UAE and the UN embargo on Iran," said the foreign ministry source, commenting on Levey's visit.

Levey is holding talks in the UAE, Bahrain and Lebanon this week.

A US embassy official in Abu Dhabi said Levey was expected to fly out of the country later yesterday after spending the day in Dubai.