ABU DHABI, 16 April 2008 — The UAE foreign minister has said an open foreign policy and tolerance in internal matters have helped turn the country into a model Arab-Muslim nation.
“Our foreign policy is based on establishing balanced, positive relations with all countries on the basis of mutual respect, good neighborly relations and complete commitment to international legitimacy,” said Sheikh Abdullah ibn Zayed Al-Nahyan during a speech at the National Identity Conference that began yesterday at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. This policy has enabled the country to extend cultural, social and economic bridges with other nations, he added.
The two-day event, inaugurated by Sheikh Mansour ibn Zayed Al-Nahyan, minister of presidential affairs, is being held following President Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed Al-Nahyan’s call to make 2008 the UAE national identity year.
“We need to interact positively with new international developments. We cannot and do not accept living isolated on the pretext of preserving our values and identity,” Sheikh Abdullah said.
Sheikh Abdullah noted that the peaceful coexistence that prevails among the diverse mix of Arab and foreign nationalities living and working in the UAE is one of the salient outcomes of this policy.
“While we are fostering the principles of tolerance and openness, we have zero tolerance of people who tamper with our national interests and rights,” state news agency WAM quoted Sheikh Abdullah as saying.
Sheikh Abdullah said that the UAE has set a good development model and is proud of its human rights record. He added that the UAE is also facing the challenge of strengthening human rights in the way it deals with its foreign workforce. “Labor issues are taking top priority in our foreign policy and in our relations with concerned countries,” he added.
Meanwhile, Gen. Dhahi Khalfan, commander-in-chief of Dubai police, said the risks surrounding national identity needed urgent attention.
“We don’t want to be a falling tower, because of the many challenges we face. We have to put strict procedures in place to face them. We now face the same challenges that other countries, including some in the Gulf region, already have,” he said.
He concluded his interposition by suggesting some solutions, which could be based on a Gulf union that gives a unified national identity to the citizens of the GCC and limits the presence of foreign communities to not exceed 25 percent of the population.
He said that increased childbearing should be a national strategy, as it reflects on what the country is facing today in terms of an increase in the number of senior citizens to 12.6 percent.
