Sheikh Zayed congratulates Yemeni President on restoration of Hanish Islands

President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan al-Nahyan, in a telephone call on Sunday congratulated Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on the decision of the International Court of Justice to restore Yemen's sovereignty over the islands.

Sheikh Zayed praised both Yemen and Eritrea for resorting to mediation in the dispute. He asserted that the two countries inclination to peace was a wise attitude and an example to be followed to settle disputes and border conflicts between " brothers and neighbors."

Last week the International Court of Justice in the Hague gave Yemen the right to sovereignty over the Zaqar islands, totaling 120 square kilometers, Greater Hanish, covering 68 square kilometers, and Lesser Hanish, covering seven kilometers, which controls the road to Bab al-Mandib, between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.