Oil affairs in the United Arab Emirates

This file concerns oil affairs in the UAE. It contains correspondence concerning:

• The commencement of offshore oil drilling in territory disputed between Oman and Ras Al Khaimah
• The appointment of Abu Dhabians to senior posts in the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC)
• The anti-British attitude of General Manager of ADNOC Dr Mahmoud Hamra-Krouha
• HMG’s aims of reasserting British influence in Abu Dhabi oil affairs through strengthening native Abu Dhabians’ oil expertise, strengthening BP’s position, and increasing cooperation between the British National Oil Corporation (BNOC) and ADNOC
• Rumours of French involvement in a proposed oil pipeline between the Gulf and the Indian ocean to bypass the Straits of Hormuz
• The visit of UAE Minister of Petroleum Mana Saeed Al Otaiba to France and his meeting with President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing
• The proposed appointment of John Sutcliffe as oil advisor to Dubai; and consideration of the position of M L Barclay, advisor to Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
• Al Otaiba’s view on oil prices
• The visit of Sheikh Saleh Bin Mohammad Al Sharqi of Fujairah to London to discuss oil exploration with BNOC; and Fujairah’s schemes for oil refining capacity and a pipeline to Abu Dhabi
• BNOC’s takeover of one third of Atlantic Richfield Company’s (ARCO) onshore concession in Dubai
• The Dubai government’s opposition to the takeover of Continental Oil Company, the largest shareholders in Dubai Petroleum Company, by Seagram Company Limited because of the latter’s alleged pro-Israel attitude, reported in the Khaleej Times
• BNOC’s operating limits in Dubai, subject to the Dubai-Sharjah border dispute
• The activities of BNOC and its chairman Sir A T Lamb in the Gulf
• Establishing a more effective point of contact between the Energy Secretary Nigel Lawson and Al Otaiba