ABU DHABI: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates flew into the United Arab Emirates on Thursday for talks with the Gulf state’s leaders expected to focus on Iran’s nuclear program and the Al-Qaeda threat in Yemen.
Gates was to meet the deputy commander of the UAE armed forces, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al-Nahayan.
Their talks would touch on military cooperation and "challenges that we are working together to try to solve," press secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters traveling with him.
They would also discuss "a range of bilateral and regional security issues," he added.
The US defence chief’s visit to the UAE capital Abu Dhabi comes hot on the heels of the leaking of US diplomatic cables by whistleblower website WikiLeaks detailing the extent of concern among Gulf Arab states about Iran’s controversial nuclear program and its growing missile arsenal.
Some Gulf leaders even pressed Washington to take military action against Iranian nuclear facilities, the cables charged.
Gates, who arrived in Abu Dhabi from two nights in Afghanistan, also planned to give Sheikh Mohammad an update on the war effort, Morrell said.
The UAE has deployed more than 1,000 troops to the NATO-led mission.
The talks were also expected to cover the possible sale to the UAE of US missile defence systems to counter the Iranian arsenal.
The situation in Yemen was also on the agenda amid increasing concern in Washington over Al-Qaeda’s foothold in the impoverished Arabia peninsula country.
