ABU DHABI, 4 November 2004 — The body of UAE President Sheikh Zayed ibn Sultan Al-Nahayan was laid to rest yesterday in a solemn ceremony in Abu Dhabi attended by Arab and world leaders paying tribute to the man who turned a coastal desert country into a prosperous modern state.
Crown Prince Abdullah represented Saudi Arabia at the funeral. Other Saudi dignitaries present were: Prince Miteb, minister of municipal and rural affairs, Interior Minister Prince Naif, Riyadh Governor Prince Salman, Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed, Madinah Governor Prince Muqrin, Prince Faisal ibn Abdullah, assistant director of intelligence, Eastern Province Governor Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd, and several other members of the royal family.
Prince Abdullah conveyed the condolences of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd, the Saudi government and people and himself to Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Muhammad ibn Zayed, deputy crown prince of Abu Dhabi, other sons of Sheikh Zayed and the Al-Nahayan family.
Among those present in Abu Dhabi to pay homage to Sheikh Zayed were Jordanian King Abdallah, Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, Syrian President Bashar Assad, Sultan Qaboos of Oman, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Iraqi President Ghazi Al-Yawar, Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir, Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Bahraini King Hamad ibn Isa Al-Khalifa, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Qatari Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al-Thani, and Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Reza Arif.
Also attending were former Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s son Saif Al-Islam.
The Muslim leaders among those present attended the funeral prayers at the Sultan ibn Zayed Mosque in the UAE capital. They were later joined by the non-Muslim leaders, including Britain’s Prince Charles and Prince Andrew and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, to offer condolences to Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed, who succeeded his father as ruler of UAE and Abu Dhabi, and other sons of the late president.
Thousands of Emiratis and expatriates offered prayers outside the mosque and throughout the seven emirates that make up the UAE. The body was buried at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, also in Abu Dhabi.
Thousands crowded the streets to watch the funeral procession. Many of them were weeping expatriates who have lived here for decades and remember the generosity of Sheikh Zayed, who died on Tuesday at the age of 86 after a prolonged illness.
Most businesses remained closed throughout the UAE, where the government has declared a 40-day mourning, an eight-day closure of all state ministries and departments and a three-day mourning for the private sector.
Schools were given an extended holiday until Nov. 20, including a five-day holiday for Eid Al-Fitr.
Tributes for the late leader continued to pour in yesterday. Saudi Interior Minister Prince Naif told Al-Arabiya television: “Sheikh Zayed was rare among his kind. He made great contributions to his country and the Muslim and Arab world.”
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said in a condolence statement: “Sheikh Zayed was a model of generosity, wisdom and leadership. The whole world knew him as a man of development, justice and civilization.”
Britain’s Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was “deeply saddened” by the death of Sheikh Zayed, who “led his country with vision, wisdom and skill,” Straw’s spokesman said.
“His legacy to his country, to the region, and to relations with the UK cannot be overstated,” the spokesman said.
European foreign policy chief Javier Solana said: “Sheikh Zayed initiated a policy of economic and political modernization, which has led to a remarkable economic progress during the last decades.”
French President Jacques Chirac said, “Sheikh Zayed’s achievements are incredible...He was the dynamic force behind the political, economic and social development of the UAE ...He worked tirelessly to ensure the regional character of the UAE federation.”
