Posted on 11/02/2004 9:18:55 AM PST by 4kevin
The president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, has died, according to Abu Dhabi TV. He was 86.
Sheik Zayed, who has been absolute ruler of the United Arab Emirates for more than 30 years, had been ailing for several years and did not attend Arab summits. He had a kidney transplant in August 2000.
His eldest son, Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has been heir apparent since his father named him in 1969 crown prince of Abu Dhabi, the capital and richest of the seven emirates.
Abu Dhabi TV interrupted regular broadcasting to break the news of Sheik Zayed's death, but no cause of death was provided. The announcement was followed by an Islamic cleric appearing on TV reading verses from the Quran.
Sheik Zayed, ruler of Abu Dhbai since 1966, was the founding leader of the United Arab Emirates, which he had ruled since the seven emirates forged a union and took independence from Britain in 1971. He has watched over the Emirates' development from a cluster of desert provinces ruled by Arab tribes to a world-leading financial and banking center.
(Excerpt) Read more at tallahassee.com ...
I think I know this man. He was a family friend. At Christmas 1977 he flew his private jet to the nearest airport that could accomodate it (a Boeing 707 I think), unloaded his limosine and drove to my house to spend Christmas with us (even though he's Muslim). While I was playing Chess with him I commented on how nice his shirt was. He told me it cost $800.00. We had armed guards grimly freezing on our front porch all night. We were not rich people by any stretch, but he had developed a strong bond with my father. I was just a kid.
Does anybody know where I can find a picture of this guy?
Is this him?
http://images.google.com/images?q=Sheik+Zayed&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search
If not, try narrowing the search parameters and try Yahoo images search too...
Not Christmas 1977, Christmas 1976 (I think)
Boy, I can't really tell. When I knew him he dressed much more humbly. The short answer is "maybe that's him" He didn't have a beard, but the nose looks familiar, as does the smile.
And his general build looks correct.
These folks have pretty elaborate tombs/masoleums(which themselves cost a fortune!!) & are usually not buried in a casket but are wrapped in linen & buried.
I should also mention that even when I knew him he was fabulously wealthy. My dad told me once that his family's personal income that year (1975 or 1976) was $5 Billion. But at that time he was a young man and still learning about the oil industry. As I recall, he was easy to talk to but had a certain aloofness about him. I often wondered what would have happened if the other people in my small town became aware that they had one of the richest young men in the world living among them more or less in cognito. I had been sworn to secrecy and never told even my close friends who he really was.
Boy, the more I read his name, the more I seem to recall that that was really his name. He only told me his full name once, and I just called him "Kalifa".
I wonder if I could send him a condolences telegram.
I wonder if I could send him a condolences telegram.
Were you in Cambodia?
me, no...
I was in the service, but never overseas...
What? No, I've never been in Cambodia. I assume this is some lame attempt at humor, right?
It's only a lame attempt if you didn't find it funny.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan of the United Arab Emirates meets Jordanian King Abdullah (L) in this July 25, 2002 file photo in Geneva. The president of OPEC (news - web sites) member the United Arab Emirates, Shiekh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan, died on Tuesday, state television said. REUTERS/Yousef Allan/File
The scorpion's stinger...
The UAE buys more weapons from U.S. then does Israel.
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