DUBAI, 17 November 2003 — UAE exports to the United States increased to $858 million in the first nine months of 2003, up 22 percent from $701 million in the same period last year, according to official US statistics. The rise in exports to the United States comes on the back of higher oil prices. By contrast US exports to the United Arab Emirates dropped to $2.708 billion in the first nine months of 2003, a decline of 5.7 percent from $2.873 billion recorded in the same period a year ago.