WASHINGTON AP - The United Arab Emirates suspended talks on Tuesday on a $23 billion deal to purchase American F-35 planes, armed drones and other equipment in a rare dispute between Washington and a key U.S. ally in the Persian Gulf.
The Egyptian Embassy in Washington said it would suspend talks with the U.S. though meetings between the two sides on other matters will move forward as planned. The U.S. remains the preferred provider for advanced defense requirements and discussions for the F-35 and may be reopened in the future, the embassy said in a statement.
The proposed sale of 50 F-35 s to the UAE came at the end of the administration of former President Donald Trump, emerging from a deal that saw the Emiratis recognize Israel. President Joe Biden's administration put the deal on hold after he took office, in part due to criticism of the UAE and Saudi Arabia over their yearslong war in Yemen, which has sparked one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and continues today.
18 advanced drone systems and a package of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions are also included in the deal.
Emirati officials blame the American insistence on restrictions on how and where the F-35 s could be used and state that they are a violation of the UAE's sovereignty.
The State Department said in a statement that the administration remains committed to the proposed sales, even as we continue to consult to make sure that we have a clear understanding of Emirati obligations and actions before, during, and after delivery. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters that U.S. requirements on the use of American military equipment are universal, non-negotiable, and not specific to the UAE. Kirby said that the U.S. partnership with the UAE is more strategic and more complex than any one weapon sale.
A person familiar with the matter said that the U.S. believes that the move by the Emiratis is a negotiating tactic to move the process along. The person who was not authorized to comment and spoke on condition of anonymity said the UAE letter notifying the U.S. of the suspension was written by a relatively low-level official.
The Wall Street Journal first revealed the suspension of negotiations.
The entry of people fleeing Afghanistan during the U.S. withdrawal earlier this year was allowed by the UAE, which has long worked with the U.S. on counterterrorism. The growing cooperation between the UAE and China has caused tension between Washington and Abu Dhabi.
A top Emirati diplomat said last week that the UAE stopped construction on a Chinese facility at an Abu Dhabi port that America considered a military base. The presence of the alleged facility was first revealed by the Journal.
The diplomat, Anwar Gargash, told a meeting of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington that we took these American concerns into account and stopped the work on the facilities. Our position remains the same, that these facilities were not really military facilities. He described the discussions between the U.S. and the UAE as quite frank.