Editing History of Oman (section)

===1990s===
In November 1996, Sultan Qaboos presented his people with the [[Basic Statute of Oman]], Oman's first written [[constitution]]. It guarantees various rights within the framework of [[Qur'an]]ic and customary law. It partially resuscitated long dormant conflict-of-interest measures by banning cabinet ministers from being officers of public shareholding firms. Perhaps most importantly, the Basic Statutes provide rules for setting Sultan Qaboos' succession.

Oman occupies a strategic location on the [[Strait of Hormuz]] at the entrance to the Persian Gulf, {{convert|35|mi|km}} directly opposite Iran. Oman has concerns with regional stability and security, given tensions in the region, the proximity of Iran and [[Iraq]], and the potential threat of political Islam. Oman maintained its diplomatic relations with Iraq throughout the [[Gulf War]] while supporting the [[United Nations]] [[Coalition of the Gulf War|allies]] by sending a contingent of troops to join coalition forces and by opening up to pre-positioning of weapons and supplies.