Emirati President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan on Monday received a message of congratulations from his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Khatami, on the 35th anniversary of his accession to power, reported the official Emirati news agency (WAM).
The message was delivered to Sheikh Zayed by the head of Khatami's office, Ali Abtahi, who arrived in Abu Dhabi earlier Monday as a special envoy.
Abtahi's visit comes just two weeks after a brief surprise visit by Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Tehran where he conveyed congratulations to Khatami over his re-election and held talks with Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi.
The two countries are in a 30-year dispute over the Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Moussa islands, at the mouth of the Gulf through which about one-fifth of the world's oil supplies pass. The islands were occupied by Iran in 1971 after Britain withdrew from the region, but are also claimed by the UAE.
Tehran has rejected UAE, Arab League and GCC calls to take the dispute to the World Court, which earlier this year resolved a territorial dispute between Bahrain and Qatar – Albawaba.com
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