Biden Apologizes to UAE after Accusing it of Terrorism Funding

Local Editor

US Vice President Joe Biden has made the latest in a series of chastening apologies, after the United Arab Emirates expressed "astonishment" at his Thursday remarks.

Biden called US allies "the biggest problem" in fighting terrorism in the Middle East.

Biden called Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince and Deputy Defense Minister Mohammed bin Zayed on Sunday to reaffirm the allies' shared perspective on terrorism, the official Emirates news agency WAM reported.

Earlier on the same day, the UAE's Foreign Minister Mohammed Gargash accused Biden of making remarks "which are far from the truth, especially with relation to the UAE's role in confronting extremism and terrorism and its clear and advanced position in recognizing the dangers, including the danger of financing terrorism and terrorist groups."

"The UAE's counter-terrorism approach reflects a pioneering national commitment that recognizes the extent of the danger posed by terrorism to the region and to its people," said Gargash in a press release.

"What did they [the three countries] do? They poured hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against al-Assad - except that the people who were being supplied were al-Nusra Front and al-Qaeda and the extremist elements of "jihadis" coming from other parts of the world," said Biden.

Biden has since officially apologized to Turkey, which was also quick to take offense, with President Tayyip Erdogan saying Biden could now be "history to me."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team