Briefs

Iran big winner: AL

DUBAI: Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit warned on Monday that Iran and Israel were the main beneficiaries of turmoil across the Arab world, which he described as the worst he has ever seen. "I have never seen anything worse than what we are now seeing," Abul Gheit said at the Arab Media Forum in Dubai.  "Iran is enjoying what the Arab world is going through. There are those in Iran who are watching and waiting for us to destroy ourselves."  Ties between Iran and Arab states have grown increasingly tense in recent years, with Tehran backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Yemen’s Huthi rebels and armed groups in Iraq.  Arab governments largely back Syrian opposition groups.  Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have for the past two years battled the Huthis, who control the capital and strategic ports along the Red Sea coastline.  Israel also stood to benefit from conflicts across the region, Abul Gheit said.  "Israel was under enormous pressure to find a solution with the Palestinians," he said.

German chancellor in UAE

ABU DHABI: German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in the United Arab Emirates on Monday for talks on economic and security issues.  Talks covered "bilateral political and economic relations... the crises in Syria, Libya and Yemen as well as efforts by the two countries to combat extremism", state news agency WAM reported.  WAM has reported the UAE is Germany’s main trading partner in the Gulf, with annual trade worth around $16 billion.  German investments in the United Arab Emirates stand at around 2.4 billion euros, according to German government sources.  Merkel’s UAE visit comes after meetings on Sunday with top Saudi officials in Jeddah, where the German chancellor signed a string of draft agreements with King Salman covering industry, economic relations and security.