His Policy

     Undoubtedly, leadership is a grave responsibility borne by unique men of exceptional abilities. With the power of God Almighty, and with the will of the people of the Emirates, His Highness was entrusted with the role of leader, so he wove the brightness of the desert into a path of development and progress for the Emirates. The cornerstone of his leadership was the solemnly declared principle: "Seek God's help in religion and in worldly affairs, and be loyal to the nation and the homeland."

    The focus of attention of His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, has been the establishment of a strong State where the citizen lives in peace and abundance.

     Since he believes that God's Law is the Law of laws, and God's Word is always the foremost word, and since Islam is characterized by honoring the human being, the philosophy behind the leadership of His Highness has, as a starting point and ultimate goal, the human being.

     This is why he believes in the unity of the Arab nation in terms of beginning, history and destiny. He has derived his leadership from the spirit of the Arab nation, the tolerance of its religion, the authenticity of its origin and its deeply humanitarian message.

     These factors have helped him to understand the challenges of his time and made him lead with strength, determination, diligence, wisdom and patience, for the sake of the homeland and the nation, and for building the community since this is the core of development and progress. Have you tried to meet this leader who keeps his door open for all his people?

     All those who meet him and those who are close to Sheikh Zayed - the head of the family, as he likes to be called - admire his warm welcome and appreciate the modesty and infinite candor of this great man. "I always reiterate that I am the head of one family which is the Federal State."

     Man, in the opinion of His Highness, is an active individual in the community who enjoys rights and is subject to obligations, and it is inevitable that man should seek and strive to please God and rely on His help because success, first and foremost, is God given. His Highness says: "When man's faith in God is solid, God shall grant him a clear conscience and this is the zenith of happiness. "

     He is well aware of his immense responsibility, and understands that his success is commensurate with the love his people have for him.

     "The responsible man may acquire the love of his people if they feel that he deserves their trust, and may act as the father before his children, taking care of their affairs and solving their problems in an impartial manner."

     Zayed the Leader is aware that he who sows today shall reap tomorrow, and that leadership and the people represent one single entity, so he stated: "Young or old, it is our duty to undertake any action that upgrades the level of our sons, brothers and the homeland, and we should pay utmost attention to such action, which should be second to none but God and His Prophet."

     The State's budget multiplied twenty-fold in the first five years of the Federation's inception, which made development experts state that the Federation's budget is financed regionally, but spent federally.

     His Highness refuses to dwell in an ivory tower, to satisfy himself and forget about his people, because the ruler is the son of the people, and is under the obligation to continuously meet with his people, to satisfy their needs and provide them with the means of prosperity and advancement. "The moment a ruler falls prey to vanity and distances himself from his people is in fact شthe moment of the end of this ruler.'"

    To Zayed, a ruler is the trustee of the nation and the trustee's task is extensive: "The leader of any nation is merely a member of its community, and because of this the leader must be the trustee of his nation, in the same manner as being a trustee of his own family."

     As for wealth, it is the property of every member of the nation: "As for wealth, it is the property of the entire nation, and not the property of a single individual. The leader is merely a trustee of the nation and the nation's wealth, and such a trustee must observe honesty in the manner stipulated by God."

     Furthermore, history has etched in shining letters his remarkable stance in October 1973, when he ordered an oil embargo against the United States of America and the countries that were supporting Israel, basing his action on the principle he had proudly and courageously declared: "Arab oil is not dearer than Arab blood."

    His Highness' major preoccupation has always been to seek further methods of modernization and development, quality work, and instilling the value of work within society. Furthermore, His Highness calls on the loyal citizens to employ their expertise in the service of the country, and, on the occasion of the twenty-seventh national day, His Highness asserted his concern to lay down a solid foundation for building the United Arab Emirates on the regional, Arab and international levels, so that the Emirates becomes the foremost promoter to seek a tangible organizational formula that would lead to enhancing cooperation and co-ordination amongst the countries of the region.

     On every occasion, His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, renews his appeal to the Islamic Republic of Iran to respond to the honest and continuous initiatives of the United Arab Emirates to adopt the principle of constructive dialogue or to accept that the issue of the Emirates islands, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa, which are under Iranian occupation, be referred to the International Court of Justice.

     About Arab solidarity, His Highness says: "My fellow UAE nationals: We have spared no effort to solve problems that have erupted in the Arab arena in the aftermath of the second Gulf crisis, because the continuity of the rift jeopardizes the region. The United Arab Emirates reiterates its deep concern with the unity of Iraq and the safety of its territory, and the United Arab Emirates is extremely worried about the aggravation of the Iraqi people's sufferings under the continuing international sanctions, and we hope that the international community would be able to put an end to this crisis at its earliest. Simultaneously, we renew our appeal to unite our ranks, to renounce Arab differences and to enhance Arab solidarity in order to create appropriate circumstances for supporting the path of cooperation amongst all the Arab nations...".

His Responsibilities

     His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, says: "The work we do for our country in this world is the best provision we take with us to the After Life. "

     With these words, His Highness has drawn up the strategy of his leadership, which derives from a principle stipulating that the supreme interest of the country is above all considerations. Thus, a constant concern of His Highness is to serve his people so as to compensate them for the quality of life they missed before God bestowed abundance upon the Emirates.

     His Highness believes that the State's duty is to continue to offer all opportunities to its citizens until they are able to play their respective roles in the domains of work and development.

     His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, insists on integrity and devotion to work. He preaches the mistrust of persons of disrepute and highly recommends good men, as there is no use for money without men; money is subject to loss, but loyal men are not, and their noble deeds for the sake of building and serving the country shall outlive them and remain immortal. Man perishes and his deeds survive: "Our belief in resurrection and Judgment Day leads to our conviction that this life is merely a farm sown to be harvested in the other life, so he who performs well in the first shall guarantee access to the second."

     His Highness also says: "This trust is a heavy burden, and I cannot tolerate shouldering it except with God's help and the assistance of my brothers, the officials, and all the citizens. So let us join hands and enlist the support of your loyalty and integrity so that, body and soul in unison, we can build the future of our country and the power of our people."

     He assumed the responsibility of leadership, relying first and foremost on God, and placing great faith in the people of the Emirates. For this reason His Highness seeks help from his brothers, officials and citizens alike, and stipulates an irrevocable condition whose crux is solidarity and cooperation, both of which are rooted in their sincere devotion, in the quest to realize the scheme of progress, prosperity and civilization.

     His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan is aware that his responsibility goes beyond his homeland, the United Arab Emirates. It goes beyond this, to all Arab and Islamic nations, and thus he strives to bridge the gap between Arab brothers and to bring convergence to their perspectives.

     He ever seeks to stand up for the Muslim cause and aspirations. Although this topic would require hundreds of books of study and research, his adherence to the principle of all-encompassing responsibility can be clearly observed. This brings to mind the steadfast manner in which he responded to Kuwait in its crisis and to Palestine, as he donated 850 tons of urgent aid to the brothers of Kuwait and US$500,000 for a Palestinian hospital, in addition to many more donations to Kosovo, Turkey, Iraq and many others.

Zayed the Unionist

    He who reads about the deeds of His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and scrutinizes his statements will undoubtedly realize that unionism flows in his blood and is an integral part of his approach to life. He is the unparalleled, unmatched advocate of unionism in both his statements and actions. Unionism is the original scheme in his national project and his real quest in so far as leadership is concerned: "Naturally I am a unionist, but I do not impose unionism on anyone.

      "The path of mutual interest has led us ultimately to the establishment of the United Arab Emirates."

     He believes in unionism not because it is a popular slogan, he believes in it because it is a national necessity and because it ensures strength, stability and security.

     "Division is not a natural practice of our people, and we do not express this fact out of emotion, but out of objective consideration of the issues at hand."

     Unity in the eyes of Zayed "the Leader' is the original concept, and division is the temporary exception. It is only natural to make persistent calls to unity, and to insist on its presence as a substantial goal of the Emirates, Gulf States and the Arab World.

    Awadh Al-Arshani said: "The Federation idea had given wings to Zayed's dreams since the time when he was Ruler of the Eastern Region, and that hope animated his vision because the mere attainment of such an objective would mean the realization of many achievements, the most important being strength". Sheikh Zayed expresses the importance of the Federation by saying: "We have believed right from the very first moment in the importance and success of the Federation."

     The Federation has succeeded due to the unionist awareness of the people of the Emirates and their deep perception of the magnitude of gains the Federation can achieve. This has seen the Federation succeeding and earning an excellent reputation inside the country and overseas. Comprehensive unity is in fact the destiny of the Arab nation. "This is a conviction that the United Arab Emirates has been pursuing since it came into being."

     Out of this principle, His Highness decided that the gate to unity in the United Arab Emirates is open to all Arab brothers. Federation and unionism, in his opinion, are the way to success.

     "Our unity is our strength, and our policy is based on supporting the pillars of this unity irrespective of sacrifices."

     Sheikh Zayed's pride in his unionist achievements is boundless, as if with such achievements he has satisfied God and has come to terms with himself in matters pertinent to his hope, ambition, family, people as well as his country and nation. It is no wonder no one disagrees with him. On the benefits of the Federation, His Highness declares: "It is we who drew up the plan of the Federation, it was not out of experience, but out of our firm belief in our nation, in our homeland - a belief that the Federation is a necessity, and out of our desire to serve the interests that cannot be attained without the Federation...The Federation's supporters are those who made the Federation and the unity which the whole world had recognized."

     Both this quality leadership and keen insight propelled His Highness toward forming the Federation, which benefited the entire nation, both in terms of security and economics.

     Sheikh Zayed admits that experience falls short of content, but the belief in the Federation shall enrich what experience we have and deepen and develop it. His Highness says: "We are experiencing the Federation for the first time; we didn't have a previous experience."

     His Highness Sheikh Zayed also says: "We work, and those who work may commit errors or do the right thing, as perfection is the quality of God alone."

     His Highness lists the prerequisites for success in forming the Federation or success in the domain of any other work. These prerequisites call on the spirit of teamwork and true cooperation based on integrity. In this respect he tells us: "The concept of cooperation stipulates that the country's interests shall be sought by all and that the common interest must the goal of all".

     Zayed's feeling of relief and contentment derives from the fact that the Federation's course has been correctly and strongly established. This has strengthened Zayed's vision, which has prompted him to work even harder for the sake of the advancement and development of the Federation, because the Federation provides a guarantee to security and stability, and achieves the principle of equal opportunities for man - the main target of progress and prosperity.

     The great leader, Zayed, looks forward to a yet larger and more comprehensive achievement of unity - it is overall Arab unity.

     "The second step is the unity... which is stronger than the Federation, we have to go beyond the Federation because unity is our goal and is the best of all."

     Sheikh Zayed does not look back. There shall be no receding from the point his accomplishments have attained during the course of his reign as he believes in cooperation that begets strength. Even if mistakes have been made, they are no more than topics to be learned for future purposes. Zayed "the Benevolent', reassures the people of the Emirates, his loyal sons, that the future shall witness more accomplishments and more obstacles to be overcome, for he believes that one should admit one's mistakes, should consider decisions carefully and should do one's work thoroughly and strive for correct judgment.Zayed believes that the Federation should be preserved at all costs, because it is the destiny, it is power and survival, and it is the supreme aspiration. He believes in pursuing the grand cause, which is unity.

     He believes in dedicated work as it yields prosperity, and such prosperity shall generate the faith in the importance of the Federation. He believes that faith and only faith can accomplish miracles.

     His Highness ties his destiny to that of all the Arab countries, and he feels that unity with them exists through sentiment and action, though undeclared: "We stand by our brothers though the Federation with them has not been declared. We stand by them in times of hardship as well as in times of abundance."

     Only unity, which embodies strength, may alleviate Zayed's concerns about powerful nations. His Highness has always understood the contemporary era, that of the tyranny of materialism, interests and competition, where the law of the jungle prevails. His Highness says: "The Federation's experience, which our State has gone through, is new and unique. We have been propelled into a Federation by our belief that realizing the welfare of our citizens is a must; and that we should join hands to make up for what we have missed due to backwardness and deprivation, and that we should work to provide for the requirements of our society in all spheres of life in order to secure the happiness of this people who worked diligently for the rise of the Federation."

     When the October war broke out, His Highness asserted that the Arab world is one entity, with one common destiny. Thus, His Highness Sheikh Zayed passed the historic decision to cut down the quantity of oil produced for export to USA and Holland by 5%. His Highness talks about this issue, saying: "When the war started I was in London. At that time no funds of any kind were deposited in the treasuries of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, nor the other Emirates. All the income was invested in the execution of the development projects in the State, and I found out that it was our duty to provide Egypt and Syria in this war with all the aid we could afford."

     When Sheikh Zayed suddenly declared his courageous decision to cut oil exports to the United States in the October war, an American reporter asked His Highness: Don't you fear America? He replied: "Did the America create me? God Almighty created me and He also created America; this is why I fear nothing, America or anyone else and had I received anything from the United States I would have been afraid, but I did not take anything from them. Then I told the reporters that once three days had passed after my decision to stop oil exports, other Arab countries would make the same decision; and they did."