UAE criticizes "colonial" role of Iran, Turkey in Syria
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ABU DHABI – The United Arab Emirates urged Iran and Turkey on Tuesday to end what it called their "colonial" actions in Syria, signaling unease about diminishing Gulf Arab influence in the war.
Allied to regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia, the UAE opposes Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his backer Iran, and is wary of Turkey, a friend of Islamist forces the UAE opposes throughout the Arab world.
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan urged "the exit of those parties trying to reduce the sovereignty of the Syrian state, and I speak here frankly and clearly about Iran and Turkey."
