The president of the United States-UAE Business Council, Danny Sebright, has criticized the head of a major American airline for linking carriers in the Gulf region to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
In a strongly worded open letter obtained by Gulf News, Sebright said the recent comments by Delta CEO Richard Anderson are “disappointing and irresponsible.”
“Your line of thinking deserves no place in the current debate over open skies,” Sebright said in a letter addressed to Anderson.
Anderson made the inflammatory comments during an interview with CNN’s Richard Quest on Monday, where he talked about how Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways have put other airlines at a losing end through unfair competition.
He claimed that the region’s airlines have violated the open-skies agreement with the US that promotes fair trade practices by receiving government handouts worth more than $40 billion. The financial assistance has put the airlines at a great advantage against their rivals, he said.
When asked about suggestions by a Gulf airline chief executive that that even Delta Airlines had benefited from similar opportunities, particularly through the US bankruptcy protection, Anderson went as far as linking the Gulf region to terrorism.
“It’s a great irony to have the UAE from the Arabian Peninsula talk about that, given the fact that our industry was really shocked by the terrorism of 9/11, which came from terrorists from the Arabian Peninsula. That causes us to go through a massive restructuring,” Anderson said.
Sebright implied that it is unfair for Anderson to issue such comments against the Gulf countries, especially the UAE, which was one of the many nations who condemned the terrorist attacks, adding that it is currently active in the fight against terrorism.
“The 9/11 attacks were a national and global tragedy. Civilized countries and leaders condemned them in the strongest possible way. Among them was Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates, who said at the time that the criminal acts of 9/11 should ‘prompt a strong international alliance to eradicate terrorism and all those who provide assistance to it or harbor it.’”
He said the UAE is one of the US’ closest and most reliable defense and security partners in the fight against terrorism.
“For more than 12 years, its Special Operations forces fought alongside the US military against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Even as I write, the UAE is flying combat air operations as one of the most active members of the anti-ISIL coalition,” said Sebright.
Sebright went on to say that over the past 25 years, the UAE is one of only three countries and the only Arab nation to work with the United States on six military coalition actions.
“The UAE is a critical US ally, providing essential intelligence sharing and cooperation, as well as support for US troops, aircraft and naval vessels in the Middle East region.”
