The oil-rich United Arab Emirates insisted on Thursday that it has every right to host the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) even though critics say that per capita it has the largest carbon footprint in the world.

"Many see that there is a contradiction between us being one of the largest oil exporters in the world and our seeking to house the agency," Reem al-Hashemi, a state minister, told AFP in an interview.

"On the contrary, this confirms the commitment of a fossil fuel exporter to the enhancement of renewable energy. Since we export energy, we want to export all kinds of it," she added.

"The UAE is committed to environmental issues in the first place."

The 110 states that signed up to the international renewable energy agreement are to meet in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to decide on a temporary location for the IRENA headquarters that could eventually become permanent.

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the one of the world's top oil exporters, is competing mainly with the European cities of Bonn and Vienna to host the headquarters.

The World Wildlife Fund says the UAE is the world's largest per capita emitter of carbons but the Gulf state is also building a pioneering zero-carbon city in the desert.

Hashemi said the UAE bidding process was "not easy" and hoped the issue would not be "politicised." The UAE has the backing of all Arab states and some European countries, such as Spain and Portugal, she said.

"I hope the UAE file will be read thoroughly," she said.

"We state there are problems and that matters won't change overnight … but we have proven that we want to change the mentality in the UAE and the rest of the Gulf countries that heavily rely on fossil fuels to boost their economies."

The Gulf Arab states in the world's top oil exporting region have witnessed an economic boom as the oil price rallied over six years to an all-time high of 147 dollars per barrel in July 2008.

The UAE has proposed to locate IRENA headquarters in Masdar, a 22-billion-dollar city that will have zero carbon emissions, scheduled for completion in 2015 with a capacity to house up to 50,000 people.

It has vowed to offer loans worth 50 million dollars annually through the Abu Dhabi Fund For Development to promote the use of renewable energy in developing countries.

Abu Dhabi said in January that renewable energy sources will make up seven percent of its total energy production by 2020.

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