Editing History of Qatar (section)

===Federation of nine Emirates===
{{main article|History of the United Arab Emirates}}
[[File:LocationFederationofArabEmirates.png|thumb|The proposed [[federation]] of Arab emirates.]]

In 1968, Britain announced its plans to withdraw its military commitments east of [[Suez]] (including those in force with Qatar) in the following three years. Because of the Persian Gulf sheikhdoms' vulnerability and small size, the rulers of Bahrain, Qatar and the [[Trucial Coast]] contemplated forming a federation after the British withdrawal.<ref name="zahlan2">{{Harvnb|Zahlan|1979|p=104}}</ref> The federation was first proposed in February 1968, when the rulers of [[Abu Dhabi]] and [[Dubai]] announced their intention to form a coalition, extending an invitation to other Gulf states to join. Later that month, in a summit meeting attended by the rulers of Bahrain, Qatar, and the Trucial Coast, the government of Qatar proposed the formation of a federation of Arab emirates to be governed by a higher council composed of nine rulers. This proposal was accepted and a declaration of union was approved.<ref name="zahlan2"/> There were, however, several disagreements between the rulers on matters such as the location of the capital, the drafting of the constitution, and the distribution of ministries.<ref name="zahlan2"/>

[[File:Gulf emirate leaders meet to discuss union plans 1968.jpg|thumb|The first conference on the Federation of Emirates, held in [[Abu Dhabi]], 1968.]]
The rulers remained divided on multiple issues despite [[Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani|Khalifa bin Hamad]]'s election as chairman of the Temporary Federal Council in July 1968 and the establishment of numerous ministries. Two opposing blocs surfaced soon after the initial proposal, with Qatar and Dubai aligning together to oppose the inclinations of Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.<ref name="zahlan2"/> Bahrain, being backed by Abu Dhabi, made efforts to marginalize the other rulers' roles in the union in an attempt to assume a leadership role and thus gain political leverage over their long-standing territorial disputes with [[Iran]]. The last meeting occurred in October 1969 when [[Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan|Zayed Al Nahyan]] and Khalifa bin Hamad were elected the first president and prime minister of the federation, respectively. There were stalemates on numerous issues during the meeting, including the position of vice president, the defense of the federation, and whether a constitution was required.<ref>{{Harvnb|Zahlan|1979|p=105}}</ref> Shortly after the meeting, the Political Agent in Abu Dhabi revealed the British government's interests in the outcome of the session, prompting Qatar and [[Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah|Ras al Khaimah]] to withdraw from the federation over perceived foreign interference in internal affairs. The federation was consequently disbanded despite efforts by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Britain to reinvigorate discussions.<ref>{{Harvnb|Zahlan|1979|p=106}}</ref>

[[Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani|Ahmad bin Ali]] subsequently promulgated a provisional constitution in April 1970, which declared Qatar an independent Arab Islamic state with the [[Sharia]] as its basic law. Khalifa bin Hamad was appointed prime minister in May. The first [[Council of Ministers]] was sworn in on 1 January 1970; seven of its ten members were Al Thani. Khalifa bin Hamad's argument prevailed with regard to the federation proposal.<ref name=cs/>