WASHINGTON (AFP) –- U.S. President George W. Bush on Friday called the leader of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to thank him for his decision to forgive Iraq's debt and reopen its embassy in Baghdad.

""We certainly appreciate the Emirates' recognition that a secure and prosperous Iraq is in the best interest of the region,"" White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters.
The UAE's Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan this week agreed to annul Iraq's seven billion dollar debt and appoint a new ambassador to Baghdad.
Bush has been pressing Sunni allies in the Middle East to reach out diplomatically to Iraq and reinforce ties to the mainly Shiite Iraq government.