Shaikh Nasser Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the brother of His Highness President Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan died tragically on Monday, June 2, 2008 when the helicopter carrying him and his colleagues crashed over Gulf waters.

The Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced a three-day mourning period starting on Tuesday. Funeral prayers of Shaikh Nasser and his colleagues are to be offered at the Shaikh Sultan Bin Zayed Mosque in Al Bateen. President Shaikh Khalifa received condolences yesterday (Tuesday) at Al Mushrif Palace after the funeral service.

Please be mindful that the three-day mourning period is likely to result in transport delays as all government offices, including Customs, will be closed.

Shaikh Nasser Bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the son of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the

principle architect of the United Arab Emirates, ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE

for over 30 years. The UAE is a Middle Eastern federation of seven states situated in the

southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman

and Saudi Arabia. The seven states, termed emirates, are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai,

Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain.