Wen-Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Summit Canceled
A drone attack by Yemeni Shiite rebels was launched on the 17th (local time) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where President Moon Jae-in is visiting. President Moon was originally scheduled to visit Abu Dhabi, where the attack was carried out that day, but his schedule was canceled in advance and he stayed in Dubai without any problems.
Reuters reported on the same day that Yemen’s Shiite rebel Houthis carried out drone strikes on the UAE, a Sunni Muslim country. In the attack, three oil tanks exploded in the Musafa industrial area in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, and then a fire broke out. The explosion killed one Pakistani and two Indians. Another six people were injured. Shortly after the incident, Houthis rebels announced that they were responsible for the attack.
Originally, President Moon was scheduled to pass from Dubai to Abu Dhabi on the same day and have a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi to discuss ways to cooperate in bilateral relations. However, the UAE side canceled the meeting due to ‘unavoidable circumstances’, so President Moon stayed in Dubai to complete the schedule.
Some have interpreted that the meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed was canceled because of a security risk, but the Blue House is reluctant to say anything. A Blue House official met reporters in Dubai on the 16th and said, “(The Crown Prince) was unable to attend due to unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances.” He continued, “I understand that the UAE side did not clearly state the reason,” he said.
Reporter Park Hyo-mok tree624@donga.com
Reporter Lee Eun-taek nabi@donga.com
