US President Joe Biden greets UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the South Entrance of the White House in Washington DC on September 23, 2024. (Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP)
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday to discuss the Middle East and Sudan conflict.
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is also due to meet with the leader of the United Arab Emirates at the White House, marking the first visit to Washington by a president of the oil-rich royal family.
In a joint statement after the meeting, Biden and Sheikh Mohammed said they “shared concerns about the imminent risk of atrocities” as fighting continues in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region.
The two leaders also called for an “immediate” ceasefire in the brutal civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and a return to the political process.
US President Joe Biden and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, meet in the West Wing of the White House in Washington DC, September 23, 2024. (Photo by Brendan Smiarowski/AFP)
“All parties to the conflict (in Sudan) must abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law,” the statement said.
Their meeting came before the UN General Assembly in New York is scheduled to discuss the 17-month conflict this week, particularly the fighting in the devastated city of El Fasher.
Israel’s war in Gaza is also a hot topic, with the UAE expected to make an important contribution to the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
“We’ll discuss a number of issues, including our efforts to end the war in Gaza,” Biden, 81, said after shaking hands with Sheikh Mohammed, with just a few months left in his term as president.
He said he had been briefed on the situation in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have bombed Hezbollah positions, killing hundreds, and was “trying to de-escalate” the situation.
Biden praised ties with the UAE, describing it as a “pioneer nation that is always looking to the future, always making big bets” and said the UAE seeks to be a “major defense partner” of the United States.
Harris met separately with UAE leaders at the White House.