ABU DHABI, Feb 7 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said on Sunday it was ready to send ground troops to Syria as part of an international coalition to fight against Islamic State.

"Our position throughout has been that a real campaign against Daesh has to include a ground force," Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said at a news conference in Abu Dhabi, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym. "We are not talking about thousands of troops."

Gargash added that "U.S. leadership on this" would be a prerequisite for the UAE. (Reporting by William Maclean; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by Sami Aboudi and Mark Potter)

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