Tuesday, May 02, 2017

Dubai: US President Donald Trump and his administration see the UAE as a critical partner in the fight against Daesh, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday.

“Our leaders are engaging with each other,” said Richard Buangan, managing director for international media at the US State Department.

The UAE “has a been partner, and they’ve been very much a critical part of the global coalition,” the diplomat told Gulf News on the sidelines of the Arab Media Forum in Dubai.

Its role was “recognised by the new leadership, from Secretary [of State Rex] Tillerson to President Trump,” he added.

The diplomat cited the Sawab Centre, a joint UAE and US initiative founded in 2015 that aims to combat extremist propaganda online, as evidence of the country’s moves against the militant group.

Launched in 2014 by the Obama administration, the anti-Daesh coalition saw several US allies work to stem the flow of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria.

Several countries, including the UK, France, Australia, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, carried out air strikes against the group. Russia and Iran, who have propped up Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s regime, are not members.

Renewed priorities

A year later, the coalition appeared to falter as many member states appeared to lose interest.

But under the Trump administration, which has declared the defeat of Daesh its top priority in the Middle East, the flagging coalition seems to have received a boost.

In March, Tillerson called on envoys from 68 member states of the coalition against Daesh gathered in Washington for new ideas to fight the terrorist group.

“The UAE is very much a valuable partner in playing an incredible role to help us,” said Buangan. “I would very much say they are a leader in the global coalition.”

The official, who was at the forum to deliver a lecture of diplomacy and media, told reporters that US president’s love of Twitter carried a “real authenticity”.

“President Trump is a big fan of Twitter,” said Buangan, referring to his top boss’s longtime habit of posting caustic, news-making tweets to nearly 44 million followers on two accounts.

“I think that anybody, any citizen that is able to have access to Twitter can see first hand what he thinks about certain issues.”

“There is no filter, it’s unfettered. I think that there’s a real authenticity there that people appreciate.”

By Paul Crompton Staff Reporter

Gulf News 2017. All rights reserved.