ABU DHABI, Jan 14 (Bernama) — United States President George Bush has described the progress achieved by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as remarkable.
Bush, who arrived here Sunday as part of his Middle East tour, made the remarks during a visit to the Masdar Initiative exhibition at the Emirates Palace hotel here.
He commended the high technology used by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) in the multi-faceted, multi-billion dollar initiative to develop and commercialise renewable energy resource sustainability industries in Abu Dhabi.
“It is a modern society. It is remarkable,” he said on being briefed about the initiative by Masdar’s chief executive officer Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber.
The president also remarked that the UAE has invested and used its oil wealth judiciously, and also praised the country’s beautiful architecture.
The initiative of the government-owned Masdar reflects Abu Dhabi’s comprehensive investment in future energy solutions and clean technology, from design to research laboratory to mass deployment.
Meanwhile, during his stint in the UAE, Bush also visited Dubai today to see various sites and attractions before flying to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to meet with leading officials including King Abdullah.
Major roads and bridges across Dubai were closed for the US president’s visit, and authorities late on Sunday announced a public holiday for today and urged residents to stay at home to limit traffic on the roads.
Bush gave the only speech of his Middle East tour in Abu Dhabi, in which he accused Iran of being the world’s leading state sponsor of terror, as well as praising the UAE as a model Muslim state.
Prior to his speech, Bush met with UAE leaders including UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan as well as Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to discuss bilateral relations and developments in the region.
The UAE was the third stop on Bush’s whirlwind visit to the region. The tour, with stops in Israel, Palestine, Bahrain, the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, ends on Wednesday.
The trip follows the US Middle East conference in Annapolis, US, last month which kicked off fresh moves to broker a peace deal between Israel and Palestine.
A White House statement had said that the trip reaffirms the enduring commitment of the US to the security of its allies in the Middle East, especially with the Gulf nations, and its close work with them to combat terrorism and extremism, promote freedom, and seek peace and prosperity in the region.