* UAE foresees period of stability in Egypt
* UAE wants int'l partners in help to Egypt's economy
By Maha El Dahan and Stanley Carvalho
ABU DHABI, May 31 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates
foresees greater stability in Egypt after former army chief
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi won a presidential election last week and
will continue to back it financially, the UAE foreign minister
said on Saturday.
Since the army ousted Egypt's first freely elected
president, the Islamist Mohamed Mursi amid mass protests against
his rule last July, the UAE has become a major donor for Egypt,
taking a hands-on approach in its support for Cairo.
The Gulf Arab countries were opposed to Mursi and his Muslim
Brotherhood, which they regard as a security threat. In total
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE have pledged over $12 billion
in loans and donations since July.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed also told reporters the UAE wanted
international partner to join in their efforts to repair Egypt's
shattered economy.
"We want to have partners from around the world involved,
whether it be partners like Germany ... or institutions like the
World Bank and the IMF," Sheikh Abdullah said at a news
conference in Abu Dhabi on the occasion of a visit by his German
counterpart.
The minister said the UAE had a plan to revive Egypt's
economy and put it back on track.
"The next period will be different. The previous one was a
transitional period and now there will be more stability," he
said.
The International Monetary Fund and Egypt have discussed a
possible loan worth up to $4.8 billion to help the economy,
embattled since a 2011 uprising that toppled president Hosni
Mubarak and drove away tourists and foreign investors, two main
sources of foreign currency.
These talks took a backseat when financial aid began flowing
from Gulf Arab states following Mursi's ouster last year.
(Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
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