(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Agencies
New leaked emails of the UAE Ambassador to the US, Yousef Al Otaiba, have not only exposed UAE's overambitious plans to rule the region by employing all tools from rulebook of dirty politics but also indicate how much influence it has gained or wants to gain on foreign policy of Saudi Arabia to achieve its goals.
Leaked emails showed from the private correspondence of the United Arab Emirates' ambassador to the US, Yousef Al Otaiba, make it brutally clear about his country's role and UAE's driving seat position when it comes to the Emirati-Saudi relationships.
The emails by WikiLeaks clearly reflect his country's ambitions to lead the region and the level of drift growing among the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Two days ago watanserb.com reported that in a message sent by Elliott Abrams, a former US conservative official renowned for his neoconservative views on Israel and his strong support to its policies against Palestinians, that Otaiba did not object when Abrams wrote to him saying, 'the new hegemon! Emirati imperialism!, rather Otaiba responded to that saying, 'Well if the US won't do it, someone has to hold things together for a while.
According to the leaked emails quoted by middleeasteye.net, Otaiba replied: 'Yes, how dare we! In all honesty there was not much of a choice. We stepped up only after your country chose to step down.
Abrams complains it was 'too bad you aren't getting the help you deserve from the US, Qatar and Saudi. Otaiba adds: 'Or Oman or Turkey.
In his correspondence with Abrams Otaiba made it clear that Emirates is playing influential role in the region saying to Abrams, 'I think in the long term, we might be a good influence on KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia], at least with certain people there. Otaiba's words 'with certain people there further indicate that the UAE is tacitly in touch with some Saudi officials who are actually working on the UAE dictation in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, according the MEE, Otaiba confides: 'Our relationship with them is based on strategic depth, shared interests, and most importantly the hope that we could influence them. Not the other way around. He means the Saudis.
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