Posted on 11/02/2004 1:42:44 PM PST by NYer
The president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan, died on Tuesday, and officials said they expected a smooth transfer of power in the oil-rich Gulf Arab country.
Sheikh Zayed was in his late 80's and had suffered from poor health for a long time.
Under the constitution, Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, will act as president until the federal council which groups rulers of the seven emirates meets within 30 days to elect a president.
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, the eldest son of Sheikh Zayed, will automatically take over as ruler of Abu Dhabi, the country's capital.
Official sources expect the council to elect Sheikh Khalifa as the next president with power remaining in Abu Dhabi, where 93 percent of the oil wealth is concentrated.
Sheikh Khalifa's half-brother, Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, will likely be the emirate's next crown prince.
"The Royal Court announces ... to the world the death of the leader of the nation Sheikh Zayed on Tuesday evening," said an official statement. The broadcast media switched to readings from the Koran. No cause of death was provided.
Officials expect the funeral to take place on Wednesday to conform with Islamic tradition of burying the dead quickly.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, listed by U.S.-based Forbes magazine as among the richest rulers in the world, has been absolute ruler of the U.A.E., the world's ninth largest oil producer, for more than 30 years. He had been ailing for several years and did not attend Arab summits. He had a kidney transplant in August 2000.
Under Sheikh Zayed's rule, the Emirates became a leading oil producer and financial and banking center with close ties to the United States and other Western nations. Sheikh Zayed died a day after announcing the Emirates' first Cabinet reshuffle since 1977.
Condolences poured in from around the region for the popular leader, who invested billions of oil dollars to transform Abu Dhabi from a dusty desert outpost into an oasis of high-rises, parks, fountains, manicured flower beds, restaurants and a wildlife island. The greening projects cost millions of dollars to maintain every year.
"His death is a big loss for the Arab and Islamic nations and to humanity," Oman's Foreign Minister Youssef bin Alawi told Dubai-based Al-Arabiyya TV.
Kuwaiti Information Minister Mohammed Abul-Hassan, credited Sheikh Zayed with helping Kuwaitis who fled to the Emirates after Saddam Hussein ordered his forces to invade Kuwait in 1990. Alluding to the Emirates' incredible economic growth, Abul-Hassan said Sheikh Zayed was an "example to be followed in his ability to turn the impossible into a truth."
Jordan's royal family, led by King Abdullah II, declared a 40-day period of mourning after being informed of the death of Sheikh Zayed.
Sheikh Zayed ruled Abu Dhabi since 1966, a city which was to become the capital of the U.A.E. when the seven-emirate federation was formed in 1971 after taking independence from Britain in a campaign that Sheikh Zayed led. The Emirates is a powerful member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Known at home for his modesty and generosity, Sheikh Zayed was also regarded as having a strong sense of justice and ready sense of humor. While advocating openness to the West, he strove to preserve local culture, and his own Bedouin roots were expressed in his later life in his love of hunting and falconry and in his attempts to preserve desert ecology. He owned about 500 falcons trained for hunting and, before his health began to fail, would spend weeks in Pakistan and Morocco hunting the Houbara bird.
Until his health deteriorated in the early 1990's, Sheikh Zayed was often spotted driving his Mercedes down Abu Dhabi's streets - obeying traffic rules like everyone else.
He would also hold a daily majlis, or open court, during which citizens would discuss with him personal and public concerns as was done in the old days.
Sheikh Zayed was the father of 19 sons and an undivulged number of daughters. - Agencies
Sheikh Khalifa, Zayed's presumed successor
ABU DHABI: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, the eldest son of United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan, succeeded his father as ruler of Abu Dhabi and, as such, is also expected to take over as head of the federation.
The new ruler of Abu Dhabi was born in 1948 in the oasis of Al-Ain, his father's hometown.
After Zayed became ruler of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa was named on Sept. 18, 1966 as his representative in the eastern region and head of courts there.
On Feb. 1, 1969, Sheikh Khalifa was named crown prince of Abu Dhabi. Then 21, he was named a day later to head the defense department of the emirate, coinciding with the formation of the Abu Dhabi Defense Force, which was later to form the nucleus of the UAE armed forces.
In July 1971, be became Abu Dhabi's prime minister, in addition to holding the portfolios of defense and finance in the emirate's government.
Following the establishment of the United Arab Emirates on Dec. 2, 1971, he became deputy prime minister of the federal state. In May 1976, he was named deputy commander of the UAE armed forces.
Sheikh Khalifa also heads the Supreme Petroleum Council, which enjoys wide powers in energy matters.
Sheikh Khalifa's past posts included chairmanship of the Arab Monetary Fund, an Abu Dhabi-based Arab League organ which helps league members close budget or balance of payments deficits and stabilize exchange rates.
Like his late father, Sheikh Khalifa maintained close links with various tribes, often hosting tribal notables in his palace. He also masterminded the creation of a social services department which helps nationals improve their standard of living.
Ping!
BUMP!
Isn't this the place where in one of the Emirates, one brother killed another, so he could assume power?
I'll probably get an email from a third cousin of his asking me to help him get petro dollars out of the country.
Be careful, I've been burned twice by people asking me to help them get money out of Nigeria.
Well, dang. He's going to miss the US election results, just like that prisoner on Death Row in Texas tonight.
Whoops!....guess I need to email back to M'bothu and say no dice.
Is this good or bad?
I didn't think so.
Any relation?
Hell no...John Kerry has inspired him.
I'm holding out for a Nubian princess.
Ping
He could not claim that honor.
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