UAE Foreign Minister Abdallah bin Zayed al-Nahyan during a meeting of the Arab Contact Group on Syria in Aqaba, Jordan, Dec. 14, 2024. (Credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP)
A senior official from the United Arab Emirates expressed "concern" on Saturday over the Islamist affiliations of the rebel groups that overthrew President Bashar al-Assad and now hold power in Syria, AFP reported.
"We hear reasonable messages about the intention not to impose a system on the Syrians, but on the other hand, the nature of the new forces in power and their affiliations with the Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Qaeda are quite worrying indicators," said Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, during a speech at the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi.