External political affairs of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

This file concerns the external political affairs of the UAE. It contains memoranda, correspondence and newspaper articles concerning:

• The visit of the Italian Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs Bruno Corti
• The assassination of UAE Ambassador to France Khalifa Ahmad Abdul Aziz Al Mubarak
• The visit of the Iraqi Oil Minister Qassim Ahmad Tali
• The UAE’s relations with Romania and Hungary
• The visit of French Trade Minister Edith Cresson
• The return of the UAE’s Ambassador to the UN to Abu Dhabi
• The smuggling of firearms from the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR)
• Visit of Austrian Chancellor Fred Sinowatz
• The Iranian Ambassador to the UAE Mahmoud Sadat Madarshahi’s comments concerning the Iran-Iraq War and the fall in trade with Dubai. It includes the question of the UAE’s role as a channel for communication between Iran and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); Iranian calls for the UAE to remain neutral in the war; indications of positive relations between Iran and the UAE; and the President of the UAE Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s message to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini concerning suspending Israel from the UN
• Visit of the US Assistant Under-Secretary of State Dick Murphy to the Gulf, and Sheikh Zayed’s call for consistency in US policy towards the Middle East
• Sheikh Zayed’s visits to Kenya, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Algeria and Turkey, and the unpredictability of Sheikh Zayed’s movements
• The appointment of Taha Rajab Arim as Iraqi Ambassador to the UAE
• Possible media cooperation between the UAE and the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY)
• Mahdi Al Tajir’s views concerning Iraqi attacks on Gulf shipping
• The cooperation agreement concerning economic, scientific and technical matters between the UAE and Belgium; and the visit of Prince Albert of Belgium at the head of a trade delegation
• The visit to the UAE of the Danish Prime Minister Poul Schlüter
• Rumoured proposals for GCC military cooperation
• The difficulties faced by UNICEF in the UAE
• A proposed undersea cable between the UAE and Pakistan
• Rumours concerning the secondment of YAR troops to the UAE
• Rumours concerning the UAE supplying oil to Syria in return for a change in Syrian foreign policy
• The visit of a high level delegation from Sudan to discuss the introduction of Islamic law in Sudan
• The visit of the Deputy Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council Izzat Ibrahim Al Douri
• The Aeroflot flights from Abu Dhabi to the Soviet Union
• The relations between the UAE and Libya following Sheikh Zayed’s failure to take up an invitation to visit, and rumours of the closure of Libya’s ‘Brotherhood Bureau’ in the UAE
• The unexpected visit of Yasser Arafat
• Ruler of Sharjah Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi’s claims of good relations with Ayatollah Khomeini
• The attempted murder of the UAE Vice-Consul in Rome Mohammad Sultan Al Suwaidi, which the UAE authorities believed was carried out by the Abu Nidal Organisation with Syrian support
• Proposals for the stationing of Saudi Arabian aircraft in the UAE
• The establishment of diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level with China; and Chinese efforts to expand their diplomatic presence in the Gulf
• The amendment of the ‘six month rule’ concerning the residency and employment of foreign residents
• Sheikh Sultan’s erstwhile support to the Eritrean Liberation Front, and the question of support for the ELF from the northern Emirates
• The deportation of Naomi St Clare from Dubai
• Sheikh Zayed’s speech at the Federal National Council concerning GCC cooperation and the division in the Arab world
• The UAE statement against Israel at the General Assembly of the UN
• The visit of the Bulgarian Ambassador to Kuwait Ivan Bodinov.