WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden welcomed the president of the United Arab Emirates to the White House on Monday, saying the two leaders would discuss ways to de-escalate tensions between the Zionist entity and Lebanon, and efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet separately with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the first in what is expected to be a series of foreign leader gatherings during the week of the United Nations General Assembly.

Biden, speaking at the start of his meeting with the UAE leader, said Lebanon and Gaza would feature prominently in their discussions, along with talks on artificial intelligence. Before their meeting, Biden said he had been briefed on latest developments between the Zionist entity and Lebanon, adding, “I continue to be in contact with our counterparts and we’re working to de-escalate in a way that allows people to return home safely.”

Biden hailed relations with the UAE, describing it as a “nation of

trailblazers, always looking to the future, always making big bets” and saying it was about to become a “major defense partner” of the United States. Sheikh Mohamed said his country had an “unwavering commitment” to working with the United States and deepening the strategic partnership between the allies.

Harris also plans to discuss efforts to secure a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal in her separate meeting with the UAE leader, the first ever visit by a UAE president to the White House, the White House official said. The meeting will give Harris, the Democratic nominee for the Nov 5 presidential election, an opportunity to demonstrate national security chops at a time when the administration is under increasing pressure to contain strife in the Middle East.

The talks at the White House are also expected to include discussions on the Gulf state’s involvement in the Sudan conflict and its plans for artificial intelligence, an ambitious effort also drawing interest from US geopolitical rival China. The UAE, expected to be a key contributor to the Gaza Strip’s post-war reconstruction after the Zionist-Hamas war, also has close ties with Russia and refused to condemn the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Presidential advisor Anwar Gargash said the Emiratis, who want to reorient their economy away from oil and towards new technologies such as AI, were thinking “economy first, prosperity first” in their “strategic relationship” with the United States. Gargash said last week that the UAE’s ties with the United States were “our most important strategic relationship,” even as “sometimes people like to talk about some tensions in the relationship”. – Agencies