Page 512 - Truncal States to UAE_Neat

Notes to Chapter Nino

165 Translation of the main points of the memorandum in Emirates News,
22 March 1979. The earlier term, “Union National Assembly”, is no
longer used for the parliament’s name in English.
166 See the cable sent by students of the UAE University in al 'Ain on 21 of
March to the President (Emirates News, 22 March 1979) or the account
of a demonstration by the women of Kalba and Fujairah (Emirates
News, 24 March 1979). On 25 March the President called for an end of
such marches and demonstrations (Emirates News, 26 March).
167 Ra’s al Khaimah later made a statement saying that it supported the
federal principles and the people’s national demands, but wanted to
give the current crisis due consideration. Ra’s al Khaimah supported the
merger of all government departments which were still not operating
under a federal ministry.
168 For a translated text and for the text of a reply by the FNC to the Dubai
statement, see Emirates News, 31 March 1979.
169 See Emirates News, 30 April 1979.
170 During an extraordinary session on 26 March 1979 the FNC prepared an
answer to the President’s address to the demonstrators on 18 March (see
Emirates News, 26 and 27 March). See also the answer of the FNC to
Dubai’s statement of the 26lh published (ibid.) on 31 March. On 16 April
the FNC again called for the armed forces to be united and for other
measures to strengthen the central authority.
171 The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company supplied from its refinery petrol
and other petroleum products within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. In
Dubai and the other emirates BP, Shell and Caltex supplied the market
from sources in the Gulf and elsewhere. When the refinery in Abadan in
Iran ceased to export, the companies had to obtain petroleum products
from as far away as Europe. The recent increase in spot market prices
had to be passed on to customers, but the 32 per cent increase in the
retail price in February 1980 provoked demonstrations in the Northern
Emirates, as the price was then about twice as high as in Abu Dhabi.
The President intervened and agreed to subsidise prices from the
federal purse. In January 1981 marketing, storage and distribution of
fuel in the northern emirates were taken over by a newly founded
national company, Emirates General Petroleum Corporation; Dh 1,200
million were budgeted forto subsidise the saleof fuel; see Emirates News,
4 January 1981.

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