The United Arab Emirates has promised to crack down on the smuggling of Iraqi oil, after two recent oil spills off its northern coast.

The UAE's foreign minister, Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed al-Nahayan, said the smugglers -- often using dhows and other rickety vessels not suitable for oil transportation -- were spilling their loads.

This was both causing ecological damage and tarnishing the UAE's image abroad.

Iraq is permitted to sell limited amounts of crude oil in exchange for food and humanitarian supplies.

The BBC correspondent in the UAE says Sheikh Hamdan, by openly referring to Iraqi oil smuggling, has broken a taboo that has long surrounded the subject.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
 

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