Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid has spoken about the UAE’s legal system and human rights record, among other world issues, in a wide-ranging interview with BBC World News.
Speaking to the BBC’s Jon Sopel, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, spoke about a number of political issues in the region, in particular the Syrian conflict, sanctions on Iran and the future of Egypt.
Sheikh Mohammed told Mr Sopel in a recorded interview in Dubai yesterday that the UAE will “help but not interfere” in the Syrian conflict.
The answer came as the Dubai Ruler was asked why the UAE would not get involved in trying to find a solution, following the example of Qatar, which is actively involved with groups in Syria.
“We are supporting the people in Jordan or Turkey, we are helping those but the free [Syrian] army you don’t know, because there’s some extremists, and you don’t know how many groups there are.You hear that some groups are fighting each other.
“Maybe Qatar have a reason or a vision, but here, we don’t want to interfere with other people, we should help but not interfere,” said Sheikh Mohammed.
He also added that while Syrian president Bashar Al Assad is likely to stay in power for a long time, he has no future as a leader of Syria.
“Assad will take a long time, but if you kill your people you can’t stay... eventually he will go,” he said.
The interview mentions the need to lift sanctions on Iran to secure better cooperation in the country’s nuclear disarmament process.
“Iran is our neighbour and we don’t want any problem. Lift the sanctions and everyone will benefit,” said Sheikh Mohammed.
The Dubai Ruler also said he believed Iran is telling the truth when saying they only intend to use nuclear technology for civilian means.
“I talked to Ahmadinejad and he said ‘if I send a rocket to Israel, how many Palestinians will I kill. And then the US and Europe will destroy my cities. I’m not crazy to go for that. It’s a weapon of the past’,” he said.
Sheikh Mohammed also stressed the need to achieve progress regarding the Israel-Palestine peace process.
The future of Egypt was another topic of discussion during the interview.
The UAE Vice President said Egypt is better off without ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, at the helm. He also said that Gen Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, the Egyptian army chief who ousted the president, should refrain from pursuing political power.
“I hope he stays in the army,” said Sheikh Mohammed. “And someone else [stands] for the presidency.”
In discussions about the UAE’s legal system and human rights record, Mr Sopel asked Sheikh Mohammed about the release last week of the American prisoner who was jailed for a video mocking youth culture, the Dubai Ruler agreed the treatment was not fair.
“We try to change it. We are not perfect and we try to change it. Any mistakes, we go in and try to change it. We’re not perfect, but we are doing our best,” said Sheikh Mohammed.
The exclusive interview will be broadcast on BBC World News today.