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Chapter Nine

July 1968, Dr Sanhuri, had fallen ill soon afterwards; his assistant, Dr
Hasan Turabi, had so far only prepared a questionnaire and visited
the governments of member States.40 This slow progress of the
constitutional experts contrasts with the increasing activity of the
Rulers’ advisers and local political figures.
The inconclusive May 1969 meeting of the Supreme Council was
followed by a long summer recess. It was no coincidence that the
Rulers of the bigger Emirates again all visited London during that
summer; Shaikh Zayid49 and Shaikh Rashid went on official visits at
different limes, the Rulers of Bahrain and Sharjah and the Deputy
Ruler of Qatar were on private visits. They all had talks with Foreign
Office officials, invariably including the chief Gulf liaison officer, Mr
Goronwy Roberts, in which the British Government made it clear
that it attached great importance to the success of the federation
plan.50

A comprehensive agreement—never signed
On 21 October 1969 the nine Rulers came to Abu Dhabi for the sixth
meeting of the Supreme Council. The communique51 of thirteen
points included the election of Shaikh Zayid as the first President of
the Federation and of Shaikh Rashid, Ruler of Dubai, as its Vice-
President; the establishment of Abu Dhabi as the temporary capital;
the decision to build a permanent capital on the border between
Dubai and Abu Dhabi and the appointment of Shaikh Khallfah bin
Hamad, Deputy Ruler of Qatar, as Prime Minister of a thirteen-
member cabinet to which each Emirate could propose up to three
candidates.52 Contrary to the intention voiced at the May meeting, the
Supreme Council did not after all consider the constitution in detail,
partly because it was presented in two different drafts, one prepared
by the committee set up in May and one written by Dr Wahid Ra’fat.
The communique stated the Council’s decision to refer both drafts to
a committee of senior officials and legal advisers for it to report on
both. I
Due to some last-minute disagreements this communique was not
signed as scheduled on 24 October by the nine Rulers. While a
further session, to iron out these disagreements, was in progress on
25 October 1969, the British Political Agent in Abu Dhabi, Mr James
Treadwell, unexpectedly arrived and interrupted the discussions. He
read a three-page message from the British Political Resident in
Bahrain, Sir Stewart Crawford, which contained rather patronising
passages such as “. . . but I have been most disturbed to hear that
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