UAE sends statement on Iran actions on island to Arab body

Middle East News.Net
Tuesday 19th August, 2008

The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Federal National Council (FNC) has a sent a copy of its statement over the recent Iranian action of setting up offices in UAE's Abu Mousa island to the Arab Parliament Union (APU).

Earlier this month, the UAE had issued a statement calling on Iran to immediately remove the administrative offices set up at the island.

It also urged all parliaments across the world to back the UAE in its legitimate sovereignty over the three occupied islands of Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Mousa.

Now, the FNC's general secretariat has sent the statement to the APU general secretariat, which, in turn, would serve all Arab parliaments with the copies of the statement, state-run Emirates News Agency WAM reported.

The three islands lie in the eastern Arabian Gulf, around 12 km from each other, and are part of a six-island archipelago near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.

At its 13th conference in March this year in the Iraqi city of Erbil, the APU had called upon Arab parliaments to contact Iran to cease occupation of the three islands.

It also urged Iran to translate its intention of improving ties with the Arab countries by solving the issue amicably through either direct dialogue, or resort to the International Court of Justice.

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