Page 389 - UAE Truncal States
P. 389

Chapter Nine

                 much greater logistical problems of establishing an administration.
                   Fortunately, during Ihe four months available, agreement  was
                 reached on an adequate number of measures required to enable the
                 UAE to present a unified face to Ihe world,101 and to achieve a certain
                 degree of internal cohesion. Thus, il was not a failure on the part of
                 the authorities in the Emirates to set their own house in order, that
                 might have led to a delay in the declaration of the federation. Two
                 complicating factors were the British requirement to hand  over
                 certain responsibilities to recognised federal authorities and the
                 issue over Iran’s claim to the three Gulf islands, which was largely
                 outside the control of the main architects of this federation.

                 The issue of the islands
                 Iran had given up her claim to Bahrain to avoid a possible showdown
                 with the Arab World at a lime of uncertainty over how the British-
                 provided security of the Gulf would be replaced. After accepting
                 Bahrain’s independence the Shah and his government were de­
                 termined not to bargain over their claim to Abu Musa and the two
                 Tunbs. The larger Tunb has a population of up to 100 people, while
                 the small Tunb is normally uninhabited; they both lie nearer to the
                 Iranian coast than to Ra’s al Khaimah, but had for some time
                 belonged to the Qawasim Rulers. Abu Musa has been permanently
                 inhabited by a few subjects of the Ruler of Sharjah for generations
                 while many more have used the island for winter grazing for their
                 camels.102 Rulers of Sharjah have granted concessions to various
                 foreign companies (British and German)  103  to mine the red oxide
                 which used to be in demand in Europe before the introduction of
                 chemical paints, the revenue from such concessions was at one stage
                 important as the compensation granted by a new Ruler to his
                 deposed predecessor.  104
                   Iran argued that all three islands had belonged to it until early last
                century, when the British Government of India arbitrarily assigned
                 them to the Qawasim Rulers; Iran’s intransigence would not permit
                reasoning on historic, demographic, economic or any other grounds.
                Very much preoccupied with its new role as self-appointed protector
                of the Gulf and the north-western shores of the Indian Ocean, Iran
                decided it just had to have these three islands with their strategic
                positions near the entrance to the Gulf. When the Arab governments
                of the region saw this and remonstrated, Iran did not alter its stance
                but reiterated its determination.105 The Iranian Foreign Minister
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