Press mourns death of Gulf leader

Newspapers in the United Arab Emirates and across the Arab world pay tribute to Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan, the veteran UAE ruler who died on Tuesday after a long illness.

"Farewell our father, our Sheikh and sage of the Arab world," says UAE newspaper Al-Khaleej in its banner headline.

"Since the creation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971, Sheikh Zayed guided us with love and affection as the country's indomitable leader. Today we feel orphaned," says The Gulf Today.

The Khaleej Times calls Sheikh Zayed "the giant inspiration behind our progress" and adds that "we are duty-bound to uphold his great vision."

'Major loss'

For Saudi Arabia's Arab News, Sheikh Zayed was "an ideal prince".

"It would be no exaggeration to include Sheikh Zayed among the greatest Arab leaders in the 20th century," the paper says.

The daily Oman calls the sheikh's death "a major loss for both the Arab and Islamic nations."

This man who was moulded by the sands of the desert and the waters of the Gulf dedicated himself to the establishment of a modern state Al-Hayat al-Jadidah

"Departure of Zayed, the wise sheikh who made the desert green", says Jordan's Al-Dustur.

"He was one of the leaders of the Arab nation who enjoyed support and respect at the local, Arab and international levels because of his sincere dedication to his job and his unique understanding of pan-Arab issues," the paper says.

'Founders' generation ends'

Iran's Arabic-language Al-Vefagh praises the sheikh's "good record in the service of his people and his excellent vision on how to deal with others."

The Palestinian paper Al-Hayat al-Jadidah sees the death as marking the end of an era for the Arab world. "With the death of Sheikh Zayed, the founders' generation ends," it says.

"This man who was moulded by the sands of the desert and the waters of the Gulf dedicated himself to the establishment of a modern state... and gave his nation what no other Arab leader had given," the paper says.

Another commentator in the same paper calls the sheikh "the brother, friend and father for the Palestinians, whose wounds and tragedies had hurt you."

"You translated your feelings not only into fervent speeches, but also by planting hospitals and homes for those who were made homeless by the Israeli occupation, thus embodying a genuine Arab stance," the commentary says in tribute.

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.