Abu Dhabi, May 5, 2006 (WAM) -- President H.H. Sheikh bin Zayed Al Nahyan has said that May 6 of every year shall remain a powerfullight in the history of the UAE and the strengthening of the country'sfederation march.

In a statement to the Dir el Watan (Shield of the Nation) magazineon the 30th anniversary of the unification of the UAE Armed Forces, theUAE President said the occasion was a time for deep reflection to planfor future accomplishment for developing the armed forces and all othersectors of the country in view of the fact that aspirations for developinga nation must have no limit.

"May 6 of every year represents a strong light which continuesto guide us in our march towards the strengthening of our federation andnational unity. It also represents a rich oasis from which we deeply reflecton achievements we made so far and those being targeted by me and my brethren,Their Highnesses Members of the Supreme Council, Rulers of the Emirates,for future accomplishment by the grace of Allah in the area of developingfurther our armed forces and all other areas. Our aspirations to developour dear nation has no limit and our commitment to modernise our armedforces is also a top priority. This is to protect our national security,defend our values, our history, heritage and unity," he said in the statement.

The UAE President said the unification of the UAE armed forceswas not aimed at anyone nor was it to transgress against anyone. "It isjust a step necessary to complete the institutional structure of the federalstate and to ensure its sustainability to make the state strong at theregional and Arab level, to be militarily, economically and politicallystrong enough to defend a just Arab cause and right, to stand by allpeople affected by wars and natural disasters without discrimination.

It is also to contribute in providing support and in the establishmentof economic and charitable projects which would serve humanity and alleviate its sufferings," he said, adding that the UAE armed forces hadimplemented a number of humanitarian and national assignments in GCC member countries and various parts of the world. "This is based onour deep belief that peace needs a strong force to support, protect andsustain it," he said.

"And in view of the above, I'm happy to say that the UAE stronglybelieves that peaceful dialogue is the best language for mutual understandingamong mankind just as the UAE believes that war is the language of thejungle. Our initial and principal stand is with the achievement of justpeace by peaceful means and our aspiration is to see mankind everywhereenjoying peace and security," he added.

Sheikh Khalifa said looking at the spreading and escalation ofviolence in the Gulf and Arab regions and worldwide is a sourceof deep concern on the dangers threatening peace efforts. "We thereforecall for the implementation of international resolutions related to thecrisis in the Middle East and the world at large. This is the best wayto minimise the level of extremism and the spread of violence," he said.

"As we clearly distinguish between resistance and chaotic violence, wewish to reiterate here that civilians must be kept far away from any act of violence and aggression in accordance with the Geneva Conventionwhich seeks to protect civilians during the time of war," he added.

Sheikh Khalifa expressed gratitude and appreciation to the lateUAE founder and leader, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, attributingto him the great success achieved in the building of this good army andits wonderful achievements. He said everybody remembers very well thegreat efforts of the late Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum in thisregard and prayed to God, the Almighty to grant the souls of the two leadersperfect peace. He also expressed great pride in each and every individualof the UAE armed forces who, he said, are exerting great efforts to improveon their technical and combat capability to improve their performanceto reach a level of a very strong army that has full command of the moderntechnology and high-tech.