62 Britain would not withdraw from its bases beyond the Suez Canal. Six months later, the same minister under the same government announced its sudden withdrawal. Everybody was shocked, and the parties concerned went their separate ways, with everyone blaming everyone else for the havoc that was expected to take place, and foreign hands started to appear, each eager for a piece of the abandoned cake. But, no sooner had this happened, than a star appeared on the Arabian horizon. As an Arab poet once said, ‘A guiding star arose for the wandering traveller, and its beaming light reflected on the surface of the water.’ This guiding star was no less than Zayed bin Sultan A1 Nahyan. He was a man of true vision, who knew how to take huge leaps in all directions: to feed the hungry, assure the fearful, teach the unlearned and found a nation. He was indeed a whole nation by himself. He succeeded in moving this young state to the forefront, with progress achieved day by day in all aspects of life. Through the wise policies of Shaikh Zayed, this State has managed to acquire the love and respect of all countries of the world. However, one day in Ramadan, we heard those words that we all feared to hear, words that tore our hearts apart in sadness. Zayed was dead. With our eyes full of tears and our hearts heavy with grief, we bade him farewell, lowering our heads in acceptance of the will of Almighty God and in submission to Him. As the days went by, we began again to laugh and play as if our loyalty to Zayed were wavering. But how
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