The United Arab Emirates said it was looking forward to an amicable solution to the case of British doctoral student Matthew Hedges, who is sentenced to life imprisonment for espionage, saying that she would not overstate her relationship with Britain. She also expressed confidence in the UAE's efforts to find a solution.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Hedges had received fair treatment under the country's constitution, adding that translators had been provided to him, and that it was not true that he had been asked to sign documents he did not understand.
The UAE foreign ministry confirmed that it was determined to protect the "strategic relationship" with Britain, and that officials from the two countries have been looking at it periodically in the past few months, and they are looking for a friendly solution to the issue.
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Thursday he had had constructive talks with his UAE counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed on Hedges. "I think I am confident he is working hard to resolve the issue as soon as possible," he said.
Hunt said that when the UAE showed such contempt for its allies, cooperation with it would not be correct, warning Abu Dhabi of serious diplomatic consequences for relations between the two countries, stressing that his country would stand firm for itself and for Hedges.
The British University of Durham issued a statement saying Hedges did not violate academic rules. Heides was also looking for UAE foreign and homeland security policies after protests known as the Arab spring revolutions.
The British newspaper The Guardian reported that many had observed that the UAE's decision on Wednesday came after Britain submitted a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in war-torn Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are leading an alliance against the Houthis.