ABU DHABI (AFP) — The president of the United Arab Emirates downplayed warnings issued by the British and US embassies to their citizens in the UAE to be on their guard against terror, in remarks reported on Sunday.
"We respect the right of each state to take precautions to protect its citizens," Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan said in an interview published in local newspapers.
"But we think that the (warnings) were no more than the normal practice followed by embassies in dealing with any piece of information or rumour they receive, no matter how true it may be," he added.
"We enjoy a level of security and stability envied by other countries," he said.
On June 16 the British embassy in the UAE issued a warning to Britons, who make up the largest Western community in the federation, saying there was a "high threat from terrorism."
Washington followed suit with a warning about the potential for attacks in the UAE and throughout the Middle East.
Unlike some other Arab countries of the Gulf, the UAE has never been a target of attacks that have generally been blamed on Al-Qaeda.
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