39 Sharjah’s Cultural Week in Paris * Selecting Sharjah as Arab Cultural Capital for 1998 has had a most positive impact not only on the people of Sharjah or the UAE but throughout the entire Arab homeland. The decision conveyed a global appreciation of the great achievements which, under the leadership of His Highness Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan A1 Nahyan, the President of the UAE, the country has seen in all fields of development. Development is the cornerstone of any effort to achieve progress within the Emirates. Sharjah has seen early attempts in education, in the very first schools, the very first newspaper, the very first cultural clubs, all established with the aim of * Speech delivered on 26th Oct 1998 on the occasion of Sharjah being the Arab Cultural Capital for 1998 by the UNESCO, and I thanked UNESCO for taking on the greater portion of the responsibility in achieving this mission.
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