Small Band in Congress Continues to Press the UAE
By Douglas Farah
A small but determined bipartisian group in Congress continues to press the United Arab Emirates for accountability on several important fronts.
In a recent letter to UAE ambassador Al Asri Al Dhahri, the group asked for further information on UAE's efforts crack down on the use of diamonds and gold by terrorist and criminal groups, the operations of Viktor Bout, monitoring hawalas and other informal value transfer systems and money laundering.
The letter is signed by Reps. Sue Kelly of New York, the Republican vice chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Florida Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch, Florida Republican Rep. Mark Foley and California Democratic Rep. Diane Watson.
The letter rightfully acknowledged the UAE's initial steps on some fronts, but pointed out the remaining dangers and that much remains to be done. It follows up on issues the administration has long lost interest in.
"We believe that weaknesses in the UAE's financial defenses tie directly to the ability of nuclear proliferators and terrorist operatives to successfully operate in the UAE," the letter said. My full blog is here
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