UK defense minister confers with UAE army chief of staff

British Defense Minister George Robertson met on Tuesday in London with United Arab Emirates army chief of staff Sheikh Muhammad Bin Zayed al-Nahyan to discuss future joint activities for British and UAE forces.

A spokesman for the UK Defense Ministry said that talks between Robertson and Sheikh Muhammad dealt with military training and exercises as well as the situation in the Balkan district. The spokesman welcomed this visit. He noted Britain's commitment to the security and stability of the UAE and indicated that the standing defense cooperation agreement signed between Britain and the UAE is one of Britain's strongest security obligations toward any country outside the framework of the NATO.

The defense agreement between the two countries was signed in 1996. It was put into actual implementation in March 1998 during the visit of the British defense minister to the UAE.