1975/76
Diplomatic Troubles – Federal Cabinet – Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Rivals United? – Oil, 100 per cent Nationalisation – Development Spending – Port Zayed – Port Rashid
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) consists of the seven former Trucial Sheikh- doms of Abu Dhabi (area approx 25,000 sq miles; population approx 90,000), Dubai (area approx 15,000 sq miles; population approx 75,000). Sharjah (area approx 1,000 sq miles, population approx 60,000), Ajman (area approx 100 sq miles; population approx 5,000), Umm al-Quwain (area approx 300 sq miles; population approx 5,000), Ras al-Khaimah (area approx 650 sq miles; popula- tion approx 25,000) and Fujairah (area approx 450 sq miles; population approx 10,000). The state was set up in 1971 following British withdrawal from the Gulf when London’s responsibility for the defence and foreign relations of the Sheikhdoms was ended. The initial federation had six members, Ras al-Khaimah joining in February 1972. The UAE is a member of both the United Nations and the Arab League. The union’s early months were not without their diplomatic troubles. A seri- ous incident arose when Iran seized the two Tunb Islands in the Strait of Hormuz from Ras al-Khaimah in late November 1971. (An Iranian claim to the island of Abu Musa was settled by peaceful arrangement with Sharjah.) It took over twelve months for relations between the UAE and Iran to improve to the extent that a UAE ambassador could be sent to Tehran. The Iranian envoy to the UAE had already arrived in Abu Dhabi. Relations with the Shah of Iran are, how- ever, now quite cordial. The only Arab states which have not yet given diplomatic recognition to the UAE are the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) and Saudi Arabia. The absence of relations with the former is of little real consequence but the lack of recognition by Riyadh is more serious. The major obstacle is Saudi Ara- bia’s territorial claim to a large area of Abu Dhabi’s territory. The claim is widely known as the Buraimi Oasis dispute but in fact the area involved is much larger and includes the important regions of the Zarrar oilfield. Saudi Arabia has not pressed the claim with any vigour in the recent past but neither have there been any sustained attempts at settlement on the part of the Saudi govern- ment. Abu Dhabi would certainly like to see the issue resolved for apart from this dispute there are no major international threats to the Union’s territory. The highly complex pattern of internal political and tribal boundaries could,
© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, ���9 | doi:�0.��63/9789004408�65 _00� 2 1975/76 however, provide material for future political disputes between the seven member states, such as occurred in 1972 between Sharjah and Fujairah. The UAE’s first President is Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi since 1966 and the Vice President is Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed al-Maktoum, Dubai’s ruler since 1958. These Federal offices are to be held for five-year terms. In December 1973 the local government of Abu Dhabi under the Crown Prince, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, was abolished and a new federal government set up as a step towards the eventual unification of the seven sepa- rate state administrations. The new Federal Government is headed by the Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid, and the deputy prime minister is Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince. The swearing in ceremony took place before Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, on 24 December 1974 in Abu Dhabi, which is serving as the UAE’s centre until a new capital is built on the borders of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The new cabinet has 25 members in addition to prime minister and his dep- uty. The distribution of seats is currently as follows: Abu Dhabi nine, Dubai four, Ras al-Khaimah four, Sharjah three, Ajman two, Umm al-Quwain two, Fujairah one. This distribution is an attempt to reflect differences in wealth and population among the seven members but a superficial comparison of the number of cabinet seats can be misleading. In fact two ‘states’ have an over-rid- ing importance: Abu Dhabi and Dubai. If these two can continue to agree on the broad lines of policy (rivalries between them are old and deep-seated) then the Federation may yet grow to maturity, If, however, the big two have a series of profound disagreements, then the union could be endangered. The views of the five smaller members cannot prevail if the two big southern states are united in their stand. Abu Dhabi’s preponderance is reflected in the size of its military machine. The Abu Dhabi Defence Force (ADDF) now has a strength of over 7,000 men and an annual budget of some US$75 million). The Union Defence Force (UDF) was formed from the Trucial Oman Scouts (TOS) and has a total strength of about 2,000 men. Smaller defence forces also exist in Dubai and Ras al-Khaimah. There were reports at the end of 1973 that those forces were to be merged dur- ing 1974. At the moment, however, several of them still contain a significant number of former British army officers. The pressure for their removal and for the removal of British police advisors is growing and changes may be expected in this direction. Attempts have already been made, by various radical groups, particularly the Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman and the Arabian Gulf (PFLOAG), to infiltrate the armed forces and arrests of alleged PFLOAG members in both the