1.
LV & SV..RULER ARRIVING IN DUBAI TOWN
0.10

2.
CU SIGN "TRUCIAL STATES COUNCIL"
0.13

3.
CU RULERS TALKING TOGETHER
0.18

4.
LV SHEIKH RASHID OF DUBAI TALKS WITH DUBAI POLICE OFFICERS


5.
LV CAR ARRIVING
0.29

6.
LV COUNCIL BUILDING
0.32

7.
SV ARRIVAL OF SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN HAMAD AL SHARQI
0.37

8.
LV POLICE GUARD PRESENT ARMS
0.41

9.
GV COUNCIL BUILDINGS
0.45

10.
SV RULERS' ARMED GUARDS SEATED OUTSIDE BUILDING
0.49

11.
SV RULERS COMING OUT OF BUILDING
0.54

12.
SV PAN RULERS
0.55

13.
SV SHEIKH ZAID OF ABU DHABI WITH MR. ARCHIE LAMB OUT OF BUILDING
1.01

14.
GV COMPLETED ROAD
1.06

15.
SV CHILDREN ON CAR WATCHING
1.80

16.
SV SHEIKH SAQR AL QASIMI CUTTING TAPE OPENING ROAD
1.18

17.
SV PAN SHEIKHS WATCHING
1.23

18.
LV ROAD
1.27

19.
LV CARS DOWN COMPLETED ROAD
1.33



Initials RM/VS/JH/OS



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: THE RULING SHEIKHS OF THE SEVEN TRUCIAL STATES, ON THE PERSIAN GULF, HAVE BEEN MEETING IN COUNCIL IN DUBAI TO DECIDE HOW TO SPEND FURTHER MONEY FROM THEIR MUTUAL DEVELOPMENT FUND SET UP 1965. ON WEDNESDAY, THE SHEIKHS ATTENDED THE FORMAL OPENING OF A NEW NINE-MILE (14 1/2 KLM) LONG ASPHALT HIGHWAY LINKING THE STATES OF DUBAI AND SHARJAH - THE FIRST OF THE COUNCIL'S DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES TO REACH COMPLETION.

SHEIKH ZAID BIN SULTAN AL NAHAYAN OF ABU DHABI, THE ONLY TRUCIAL STATES RULER WHO ENJOYS AN IMMENSE INCOME FROM OIL, WAS ATTENDING HIS FIRST COUNCIL CONFERENCE SINCE SUCCEEDING TO THE SHEIKHDOM LAST AUGUST. HE HAS PROMISED TO SPEND GENEROUSLY TO PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT AND WELFARE IN THE WHOLE TRUCIAL AREA.

THE SHEIKH HAS ALREADY CONTRIBUTED GBP500,000 STERLING TO THE FUND, MORE THAN TWICE THE CONTRIBUTIONS TILL THEN BY OTHER TRUCIAL RULERS. BRITAIN, AS AN OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTOR, DONATED ??1,000,000 STERLING, WHILE SAUDI ARABIA AND KUWAIT ALSO MADE OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTIONS. DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES DISCUSSED AT THE PRESENT MEETING INCLUDE IMPROVED WATER AND ELECTRICITY SCHEMES, A NEW ROAD, IMPROVED HARBOUR WORKS, EXPERIMENTAL FARMS AND NEW SCHOOLS.

THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE NEW DUBAI-SHARJAH ROAD WAS CONDUCTED BY SHEIKH SAQR AL QASIMI OF RAS AL KHAIMAH, THIS YEAR'S CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNCIL. FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE ROAD PROVIDES AN ALL-WEATHER ROAD LINK BETWEEN THE STATES AND IS SAFE FROM PERENNIAL FLOODING. IT COST GBP70,000 LESS THAN THE ORIGINALLY ESTIMATED GBP350,000 STERLING.

THE RULER OF DUBAI, SHEIKH RASHID, WITH SOME OF HIS TINY STATE'S POLICEMEN BRITAIN, SAUDI ARABIA, AND KUWAIT ARE OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTORS TO THE FUND. THE LARGEST INTERNAL CONTRIBUTION HAS COME FROM ABU DHABI, THE ONLY OIL-RICH TRUCIAL STATE. ARRIVING HERE, SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN HAMAD AL SHARQI OF FUNAIRAH.

SHEIKH ZAID BIN SULTAN AL NAHAYAN, RULER OF ABU DHABI, HAS ALREADY DONATED HALF A MILLION POUNDS STERLING OUT OF HIS OIL INCOME TO THE DEVELOPMENT FUND. THIS IS MORE THAN TWICE THAT DONATED BY NAY OTHER TRUCIAL STATES, AND SHEIKH ZAID -- SEEN HERE WITH MR. ARCHIE LAMB OF BRITAIN -- HAS PROMISED TO CONTINUE SPENDING GENEROUSLY.

ON WEDNESDAY, THE CHAIRMAN OF THIS YEARS COUNCIL CONFERENCE, SHEIKH SAQRAL QASIMI OF RAS AL KHAIMAH, OPENED A NEW NINE-MILE ASPHALT HIGHWAY LINKING DUBAI AND SHARUAH, IT'S THE FIRST OF THE COUNCIL'S DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES TO REACH COMPLETION. THE ROAD PROVIDES THE FIRST ROAD LINK IMPERVIOUS TO PERENNIAL FLOODING.