Syrian President Bashar al-Assad paid a visit on Friday to the United Arab Emirates, state media reported, in the first such visit to an Arab country since an uprising against his rule started in Syria in 2011. The state-run Syrian News Agency (SANA) said al-Assad met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the armed forces and also with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. It added that this visit comes “within the framework of the common concern to continue consultation and fraternal coordination between the tw…