UAE Says Ruler In “Reassuring” Condition After Surgery

The president of United Arab Emirates is in “stable and reassuring” condition after surgery following a stroke late last month, state media reported on Monday.

The WAM state news agency quoted the half brother of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan, as telling guests: “Yes we passed through a difficult crisis, we have overcome it, thanks be to God.”

Born in 1948, Sheikh Khalifa is known as a pro-Western moderniser who has ruled the UAE since the death of his father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan in 2004.

He is also the ruler of oil-producing Abu Dhabi, the richest and most powerful of the UAE emirates, which also include Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Umm al-Quwain and Ras al-Khaima.

WAM reported on January 25 that Sheikh Khalifa had had surgery after a stroke.

The UAE is an ally of the United States and has used its formidable foreign currency reserves to back the military rulers of Egypt against the Muslim Brotherhood opposition.