Page 374 - UAE Truncal States
P. 374

The Formation of the Federation

         Arabia, either the Ruler or Shaikh KhalTfah visiting monthly.
           In an interview with The Times in London, published on 9 October
         1968, the Ruler of Abu Dhabi maintained that in his view the ideal
 I       federation was that of the nine Slates, but if that proved loo difficult
         to realise at present, a federation of the seven Trucial States was still
         better than a union of only three or four of them. Yet, initially, even a
         smaller union comprising Abu Dhabi and two or three other Emirates
         would be belter than nothing.
           The routine autumn meeting of theTrucial States Council was held
         on 13 October 1968. The seven Rulers discussed, under British
         auspices, development projects, and agreed on a budget of £2 million
         and a supplementary budget of £300,000.
           A constructive atmosphere was maintained at the fourth meeting
         of the Supreme Council of nine Rulers in Doha on 20 to 22 October
         1968. It was agreed to set up six more committees, such as for
         education, health, immigration and nationality problems, each based
         in one of the larger capitals. The most important agreement was to
         form federal land, air and naval forces under a unified command to
         replace the British forces after their withdrawal at the end of 1971.
         Two military experts were to advise on this organisation. The
         individual States could retain their own national guards.38
           By now the Rulers, their families and their advisers had accepted
         that by joining in a federation they had to acknowledge the authority
         of federal institutions. Frequent declarations by the Ruler of the
         richest member slate, Shaikh Zayid, stressing that “Abu Dhabi’s oil
         and all its resources and potentialities are at the service of all the
         Amirates,”39 encouraged the poorer member States on the Trucial
         Coast, who could testify that such words were often followed by
         generous deeds. To have such a fervent advocate and generous
         supporter of the federal idea greatly benefited the Union,.particularly
         in the eyes of sceptical foreign observers. It also counterbalanced
         Qatar’s persistent pressure to proceed more rapidly with the
         formalities of building the federation.
           On 26 to 28 November the Temporary Union Council met in
         Sharjah40 and decided to ask the World Bank for help in preparing an
         economic study of the member States and Britain for expert military
         advice on the Union’s defence needs. A former Commander of British
         Land Forces in the Middle East, Major-General Sir John Willoughby,
         was invited in December to become senior military adviser to the
         Union.
           There was a lapse of more than half a year before the Supreme

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