WAM WASHINGTON, DC, 27 June 2012 (WAM)--His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces met here today over lunch with US President Barack Obama at the White House.

During the meeting, the Crown Prince and President Obama discussed a range of regional issues and the broad-based relationship that unites the two countries. The leaders also pledged to continue close cooperation in the areas of security and commercial activity.

The Crown Prince and U. S. President also discussed the developments that are impacting the security and stability of the Middle East region, including Iran's continued occupation of the three UAE islands, escalating violence in Syria, recent Egyptian elections, and the continued threat of terrorism.

The two sides spoke about the bilateral and multilateral efforts to improve the regional stability and prevent the spread of extremism, and also discussed steps the UAE is taking to ensure the reliable and safe delivery of crude oil from the UAE to global markets, such as the opening of the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline later this month.

While in Washington, DC, the Crown Prince also met with US Congressional leaders, including Senator Carl Levin, Senator Roy Blunt, Senator Joe Lieberman, Senator John McCain, Senator Lindsay Graham, House Majority Leader Representative Eric Cantor and Chairwoman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. In those meetings, the Crown Prince reaffirmed the UAE's strong commitment to a stable and peaceful Middle East, a goal firmly shared by the United States, and lauded the UAE-US strategic and military cooperation in the region.

The Crown Prince concluded his trip by participating in a dinner hosted by UAE Ambassador to the United States Yousef Al Otaiba, which marked the occasion of the Crown Prince's visit and was attended by senior UAE and US government officials. Attendees at the dinner included UAE Foreign Minister H. H. Sheikh Abdulla bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Undersecretary of the Crown Prince Royal Court Mohammed Al Mazrouie, Chief of State Security Department General Hamad Al Shamsi, UAE Armed Forces Deputy Chief of Staff General Eisa Al Mazrouie, Commander US Central Command General James Mattis, US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, US Central Intelligence Agency Director General David Petraeus, US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and National Security Advisor. WAM/MN