Reuters Oct 5, 2014 – The United Arab Emirates said on Sunday that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden had apologized to the Abu Dhabi crown prince for “any implications” made in a speech indicating that the UAE had supported Islamist militants in Syria.
Biden angered U.S. allies when he suggested in a speech to Harvard University students on Thursday that Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates had extended “billions of dollars and tens of thousands of tons of weapons” to Sunni fighters trying to oust the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash demanded an official explanation for Biden’s remarks, which he said had created “a negative and untrue impression about the role of the UAE”, according to state news agency WAM.