Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Thursday, November 4, 2004
King attends Sheikh Zayed
funeral, expresses his deep sorrow and grief
By P. V. Vivekanand
ABU DHABI, November 4 - The late president of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed Ben Sultan
Al Nahayan, was laid to rest on Wednesday in a solemn ceremony here attended by
Arab and world leaders paying tribute to the man credited with turning the UAE
from a coastal desert country to a modern state.
The funeral was attended by His Majesty King Abdullah, who expressed his deep
sorrow and grief over the passing of Sheikh Zayed.
The King, who returned home later Wednesday, was accompanied by Their Royal
Highnesses Prince Faisal and Prince Ghazi, the private adviser and personal
envoy, Prime Minister Faisal Fayez, Senate President Zeid Rifai, Lower House
Speaker Abdel Hadi Majali, Special Adviser Yousef Dalabih, Royal Court Minister
Samir Rifai, Adviser on Islamic Affairs and Chief Islamic Justice Izzeddine
Khatib Tamimi, and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Ahmad Hilayel.
Among those who were present in Abu Dhabi to pay homage to Sheikh Zayed were
Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, Prince Mohammed Ben Fahd Ben Abdul Aziz Al Saud,
governor of the Eastern Region, Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, Syrian
President Bashar Assad, Sultan Qaboos of Oman, Algerian President Abdelaziz
Bouteflika, Iraqi President Ghazi Al Yawer, Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi,
Sudanese President Omar Bashir, Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al
Sabah, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf,
Bahraini King Hamad Ben Isa Al Khalifa, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh,
Qatari Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim Ben Hamad Al Thani and Iranian Vice President
Mohammad Reza Arif.
Also attending were former Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and Libyan
leader Muammar Qadhafi's son Saif Al Islam.
The Muslim leaders among them attended the prayers for the dead at the Sultan
Ben Zayed Mosque in the UAE capital.
They were later joined by the non-Muslim leaders, including Britain's Prince
Charles and Prince Andrew and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, to offer
condolences to Sheikh Khalifa Ben Zayed Al Nahayan, who succeeded his father as
ruler of Abu Dhabi, and other sons of the late president. Thousands of Emiratis
and expatriates offered prayers outside the mosque and throughout the seven
emirates that make up the UAE, which Sheikh Zayed and the late ruler of Dubai
Sheikh Rashid Ben Maktoum founded in 1971. The body was buried at the Sheikh
Zayed Grand Mosque, also in Abu Dhabi. Thousands crowded the streets to watch
the funeral procession. Many of them were weeping expatriates who have lived
here for decades and remember the generosity of Sheikh Zayed, who died on
Tuesday at the age of 86 after a prolonged illness. Most businesses remained
closed throughout the UAE, where the government has declared a 40-day mourning,
an eight-day closure of all state ministries and departments and a three-day
mourning for the private sector.
Schools were given an extended holiday until No. 20, including a five-day
holiday for Eid Al Fitr. Churches are to hold special services later this week.
Tributes for the late leader continued to pour in on Wednesday: Saudi Interior
Minister Prince Nayef told Al Arabiya television: “Sheikh Zayed was rare among
his kind. He made great contributions to his country and the Muslim and Arab
world.”
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said in a condolence statement: “Sheikh Zayed
was a model of generosity, wisdom and leadership. The whole world knew him as a
man of development, justice and civilization.”
Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was “deeply saddened” by the death of
Sheikh Zayed, who led his country with vision, wisdom and skill,” Straw's
spokesman said.
“His legacy to his country, to the region, and to relations with the UK cannot
be overstated,” the spokesman said.
European foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Sheikh Zayed “led his country
and people to independence and had a lead role in creating the federation [of
the] United Arab Emirates.”
“He initiated a policy of economic and political modernization, which has led to
a remarkable economic progress during the last decades,” he added.
French President Jacques Chirac said in a message to Sheikh Khalifa that he was
“deeply shocked by the death of Sheikh Zayed.”
“Sheikh Zayed's achievements are incredible... He was the dynamic force behind
the political, economic and social development of the country... He worked
tirelessly to ensure the regional character of the UAE federation,” said Chirac.
UAE embassy receives condolences
AMMAN, November 4 (Petra) - Large numbers of citizens yesterday went to the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) embassy in Amman to sign the book of condolences and
express their deep sorrow and grief over the passing away of Sheikh Zayed Ben
Sultan Al Nahayan, president of UAE. The embassy will be open to receive
condolences from the public for three days, starting Wednesday.