DUBAI, 6 January 2006 — The United Arab Emirates appointed the ruler of Dubai as its prime minister and vice president, succeeding his elder brother who was buried yesterday.
Sheikh Mohammed ibn Rashid Al-Maktoum, who is currently the UAE’s defense minister, was also asked to form a new Cabinet. Officials said they did not expect a major reshuffle in the government.
It was not immediately clear if Mohammed, a businessman who transformed Dubai into the Gulf’s trade and tourism hub, would retain the defense portfolio.
“Members of the Supreme Federal Council ... agreed to charge Sheikh Mohammed as prime minister to form a new government,” the official WAM news agency said. It said the council, headed by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed Al-Nahayan, elected Mohammed to his new posts.
The UAE is a federation of seven emirates that include Dubai. Each emirate has its own ruler and government.
Meanwhile, the late Sheikh Maktoum ibn Rashid Al-Maktoum was buried at the Umm Hurair graveyard in Bur Dubai yesterday as presidents, prime ministers and kings from the Arab world and other countries watched the body of the 62-year-old leader lowered into the grave.
Thousands of UAE citizens and expatriates thronged the route and the entrance to the graveyard to have a last glimpse of their departed leader.
The body of Sheikh Maktoum, who died early Wednesday morning in the east Australian resort of Gold Coast, was brought home yesterday morning.
Riyadh Governor Prince Salman was among the Arab and world leaders who attended the funeral prayers. Other leaders attending the prayers were King Abdallah of Jordan, Crown princes of Qatar and Morocco and Deputy prime minister of Kuwait.
The streets of Dubai were deserted with mega malls and shopping centers closed to mark the death of the founder of modern Dubai.
The country’s banks and stock exchange will remain closed for four days. The Dubai Shopping Festival activities have been postponed indefinitely.
After the funeral, UAE President Sheikh Khalifa, and Sheikh Mohammed received condolences at Sheikh Mohammed Zabeel Palace.
Among those who offered condolences were Bahrain’s King Sheikh Hamad, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shaukat Aziz, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif.
Sheikh Mohammed also received condolences from UAE citizens.
Sheikh Khalifa and Sheikh Mohammed also received messages of condolence from world leaders including US President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac.
