WAM Abu Dhabi, May 03rd, 2012 (WAM)--The Deputy Chief of Staff of UAE Armed Forces, Staff Major General Eisa Saif Al Mazrouei said the UAE Armed Forces represents a formidable fort that defends the country and safeguards its achievements.

He told Dira' al Watan (Nation Shield Magazine" in an interview on the 36th anniversary of Unification of the UAE Armed Forces that "Our Armed Forces today is among the advanced armies worldwide in terms of the armament, training and technology, thanks to support of the wise leadership".

Staff Major General Al Mazrouei said as the advancement of the UAE Armed Forces continues under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, it is not aimed against anyone or intended for aggression, but a natural process for defending the gains, just Arab rights and support of people affected by wars and catastrophes worldwide irrespective of race or colour.

He added that the UAE under Sheikh Khalifa is a peace loving country and supports the international peace and security, and keen on building modern strong army based on recruitment of national efficient cadres equipped with knowledge, allegiance to the country and its national, international and humanitarian message outlined by the late founder Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Staff Major General Al Mazrouei said the current rapid regional and the Middle East developments brought home the vision of leadership for developing the Armed Forces. "We are not immune from what is happening around us as we keep pace with all the new developments. What was done by Iran recently was a demonstration of muscles and provocation when the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited the UAE's occupied Island of Abu Mousa, under Iranian occupation since 1971. It is a clear violation of the understandings that have been reached between the two countries to find a peaceful solution to the issue of Iran's occupation of the three UAE islands; the Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Musa. The move is also incompatible with the principles of good neighborliness." The Deputy Chief of Staff of UAE Armed Forces did not hide the UAE and the GCC and international increasing concerns toward Iran's provocative positions to the UAE peaceful stance to resolve this issue, and toward growing Iranian nuclear programme, and fears from leading the region into a nuclear arms race.

He added that these concerns are based mainly on keeping the region away from any form of nuclear arms, stressing that the continuation of Iran's nuclear programme will lead to an imbalance in the security system in the region. "Iran's possession of this weapon would be tense as it insists on the occupation of the three UAE islands and considers the issue an internal affair, despite the fact that the occupation of the three Islands has been one of the issues on the agenda of the GCC, Arab and Muslim Summits. The international support to the right of the UAE in the islands, its efforts and position to resolve this issue peacefully have been exhibited by the international community." Staff Major General Al Mazrouei underscored that the joint GCC Security is a strategic option to the GCC and sole option to safeguard the security and stability of the GCC states at collective and individual levels. "Any aggression on any GCC state is aggression on all the GCC states. The GCC security is inseparable", he said, citing the deployment of the Peninsula Shield Forces in the Kingdom of Bahrain to ensure security and stability.

 WAM/MN