Mauritania supports 'good judgment' of UAE on Israel deal

The then US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright(C), looks on as Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy(R) and Ahmed Ould Sid Ahmed(L), minister of Foreign Affairs for the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, shake hands after signing ceremonies 28 October, 1999 at the US State Department in Washington, DC [TIM SLOAN/AFP via Getty Image]

Mauritania, a member of the Arab League, said it trusts the “wisdom and good judgement” of the United Arab Emirates leadership for signing an accord with Israel to agree to normalise relations, UAE state news agency WAM said on Sunday.

“The UAE possesses absolute sovereignty and complete independence in conducting its relations and assessing the positions it takes in accordance with its national interest and the interests of Arabs and Muslims,” WAM quoted a statement from Mauritania’s foreign ministry as saying.

Mauritania used to have full diplomatic ties with Israel, but froze relations in 2009 in response to the 2008-09 Gaza war.

This left Jordan and Egypt as the only two Arab states with diplomatic links, until Israel and the UAE on Thursday announced an agreement that will lead to a full normalisation of diplomatic relations between the two states.

The deal, brokered with US help, firms up opposition to regional power Iran. Palestinians denounced the Israel-UAE deal, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar have remained silent. Fellow Gulf nations Oman and Bahrain praised the deal.

Israel intelligence minister: Bahrain, Oman to follow UAE in formalising ties

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