H.E. Ambassasador Yousef Al Otaiba Visits Chicago, Meets with City Leaders : Delivers Keynote Remarks on Strength of UAE-US Relations and Offers Sup

WASHINGTON (Business Wire EON) December 22, 2008 -- In the visit's keynote speech delivered at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba commented on the strong state of the bilateral relationship, noting that, "The relationship between the UAE and the United States has been positive and productive for more than 30 years." The two countries are reliable allies with shared strategic interests, spanning the security and economic sectors, continued Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba.

The Ambassador also offered the UAE's assistance to President-elect Barack Obama as he begins confronting the range of issues in the Middle East. Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba said, "President-elect Obama faces high expectations from the American people. And if that's not enough pressure, there are expectations from the entire world. The UAE hopes to play an important part to help the new administration meet these expectations, because the challenges are enormous and the cost of failure is simply too high."

During his visit to Chicago, Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba also met with leading Chicago political officials and business organizations including Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and members of the US-UAE Business Council.

Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba plans to further advance bilateral relations between the US and the UAE in 2009 by visiting more American communities.