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Dubai: The new US Ambassador to the UAE, Richard Olson, has said the two countries will develop their relationship further on various political and economic levels in spite of the change in the leadership and administrative teams in America.
Speaking at a press briefing in Dubai, Olson said the current credit crunch sweeping the world will bring the two countries even closer since the Emirati leadership has shown a high level of responsibility towards contributing to the solution of the international economic crisis.
"I am confident that the cooperation of the Group of 20 (which met recently in the US) and the keenness of the leaders to resolve the credit crunch will help in overcoming the fin-ancial problems facing the world.
"The finance ministers of the G20 will meet in March next year to look into policies regarding the regulatory environment," he said.
The envoy added that the US is a country of institutions and will continue to support the peace process in the Middle East on the principle of a two-state solution.
"There is nothing to suggest that the US will change its position regarding peace in the Middle East with the new administration in the White House," he said.
Olson, a career diplomat, refuted claims that the current credit crunch was a result of the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq, adding that the cost of the war was reasonable compared to the GDP of the US and that the problems started with a shortage of liquidity in a number of leading financial institutions in the US and there is no connection between the war and the credit crunch.
He said the war on terrorism was quite successful because there is a democratically elected regime in Kabul and Iraq.
He added that there will certainly be some challenges in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
"The world is required to address those challenges and nothing should deviate us from achieving our goals," he said.
Commenting on Hamid Karzai's offer to negotiate peace with Taliban leader Mullah Omar, Olson said no conflict can be resolved purely by military means.
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