Page 387 - UAE Truncal States

Chapter Nina
comprising Ihe seven Trucial Slates, had been agreed upon in July of
1971. On 1 September Qatar followed suit.05
Meanwhile Abu Dhabi, apprehensive of the outcome of the further
deliberations and realising that Dubai was hesitant to join a
federation without Qatar, prepared for the eventuality that the
federation would not lake shape before time ran out by announcing
on 1 July the formation of the first cabinet in its history.90 The
organisation of its governmental and administrative structure had
been in preparation for several months in the hands of local and
other Arab civil servants and outside advisers. The Ruler also set up
a National Consultative Assembly with fifty members. They were
representatives of Abu Dhabi's tribes and main tribal sub-sections
and of the most important merchant families in the town nominated
by Shaikh Zayid in consultation with the leading members of society.
One of the first acts of the new cabinet was to establish on 8 July
the Abu Dhabi Fund for Arab Economic Development with an initial
capital of 50 million Bahrain Dinars. The very generous assistance
which Abu Dhabi already gave to Arab, African and Islamic
countries was institutionalised in co-operation with a similar fund in
Kuwait and with the IMF. This timely gesture also demonstrated
once again that the Ruler of Abu Dhabi and the new government
really considered the wealth which this Slate derived from oil to be
an asset for the entire, formerly so desperately poor, coast and for the
needs of other countries. Shaikh Zayid remained determined that
Abu Dhabi should do its utmost to foster the Federation, but there
was still the uncertainty over which Emirates would join.

4 Agreement to establish the UAE

The UAE agreed upon
On 10 July the seven Rulers met in Dubai as members of the Trucial
States Council. The urgent task before them was to work out the
formula for the transfer of a number of functions which had hitherto
been performed by the British Government, such as jurisdiction over
foreigners and control of immigration.97 While progressing through a
22-point agenda, measures were agreed for the co-ordination of
police activities and the unification of various duties by modifying
existing organisations of the Development Office.98
During informal consultations of the Rulers and their aides

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