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Wednesday, October 20, 2010     GET YOUR INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING

UAE ties base access for NATO allies to routes for its Emirates airline

ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates has denied military base rights to a key member of the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

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UAE sources said Abu Dhabi has informed Canada that it could no longer use the base at Camp Mirage, Middle East Newsline reported. They said the decision was meant to express UAE disappointment over Canada's refusal to allow an increase in flights by Emirates airline to the North American country. The two countries had negotiated such a proposal for five years.

"The UAE entered negotiations in good faith on the understanding that a solution would be reached," UAE ambassador to Canada, Mohammed Al Ghafli, said. "The fact that this has not come about undoubtedly affects the bilateral relationship."


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The sources said the UAE expected the United States to intervene and press Canada to resolve the crisis with Abu Dhabi. The United States has led the NATO mission in Afghanistan, which focused on the war against Al Qaida and Taliban.

The UAE has become a leading Gulf hub for the NATO mission in Afghanistan. The UAE has allowed such mission members as Australia, Britain, Canada, France and the United States to use military bases, particularly Al Minhad.

Under a memorandum of understanding, the Canadian use of Camp Mirage expired in June. The sources said Abu Dhabi had extended Canadian base rights until September as a goodwill gesture.

In contrast, the UAE has granted expanded base rights to Australia. The sources cited reciprocity by Australia, which now allows 100 UAE flights per week, triple that of 2005.



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