The United Arab Emirates’ top diplomat on Wednesday said that a recent order by U.S. President Donald Trump to temporarily bar entry to citizens of seven Muslim-majority nations does not target a certain religion.
Trump’s executive order, issued Friday, bans entry to citizens from Syria, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Libya and Sudan for 90 days and also suspended the processing of refugee claims.
“There were attempts suggesting that this decision targets a certain religion, but the majority of Muslims were not covered by the order,’’ Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan told a press conference in Abu Dhabi.
“The United States took a sovereign decision,’’ he said.
The UAE is a close Gulf ally to the United States. (dpa/NAN)