• Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and US secretary of state speak ahead of UAE visit

Arab News

DUBAI: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and the US secretary of state have discussed how to strengthen the UAE’s peace deal with Israel.

Sheikh Mohammed spoke with Mike Pompeo on the phone ahead of his visit to the country this week and after he met Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Monday.

They discussed “strategic relations” between the US and the Emirates, UAE state news agency WAM reported, as well as the deal signed with Israel on Aug.13.

The agreement, brokered by Donald Trump, makes the UAE the third Arab country to have full diplomatic relations with Israel in return for an end to Israeli threats to annex Palestinian land.

In Jerusalem on Monday, Pompeo said he hoped more Arab countries would reach similar agreements with Israel.

In the call with Sheikh Mohammed, they discussed the prospects for strengthening the deal “in a way that serves the foundations of peace and stability in the region.”

Pompeo visited Sudan on Tuesday as part of his regional tour. He is set to travel to Bahrain and the UAE where he will meet UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi.