The last surviving delegate from the conference that founded Opec has died at his home in Abu Dhabi.
After the July 17 Revolution brought hard-line members of the Ba’ath party to power in 1968, he left Iraq for Abu Dhabi, using his expertise to assist in the setting up of the new national oil company in 1971.
Abdullah Ismail was Iraq’s deputy minister of oil and part of his country’s delegation to the historic 1960 Baghdad Conference that resulted in the formation of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Opec was established as a response to the price manipulation carried out by oil firms, which disregarded the interests of oil-producing countries and their people, the rightful owners of the resource
Abdullah Ismail
Interviewed for the 60th anniversary of Opec last year, he explained that the organisation had been set up “as a response to the price manipulation carried out by oil firms which disregarded the interests of oil-producing countries and their people, the rightful owners of the resources".
Concerned that prices were being driven down by a cartel of oil companies, the Iraqi government invited Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela — the major oil producers at the time — to Baghdad on September 10, 1960.
The result was a decision to find ways to co-ordinate prices in a way that benefited the producers, with a second meeting in 1961 that agreed to set up the headquarters of Opec in Vienna and with Iran’s representative, Dr Fuad Rouhani, as the first Secretary General.
“The organisation … has played a key role in safeguarding the interests of oil-producing countries and embracing many legitimate rights that were impossible or difficult to acquire before Opec,” Mr Ismail said.
Abu Dhabi joined Opec in 1967, expanding to UAE membership after the creation of the union on December 2, 1971.
By then events had led to Ismail's relocation to Abu Dhabi, where he was able to offer his services to Sheikh Zayed, Ruler of Abu Dhabi and future first President while he was preparing to unite the seven emirates as the UAE.
There he joined diplomat Adnan Pachachi, another Iraqi exile, who was advising on foreign policy. Ismail's expertise in the oil industry made him a valued adviser to Mana Saeed Al Otaiba, who would become the UAE’s first Minister for Petroleum, with Ismail as undersecretary at the ministry.
The creation of the UAE required a national strategy for management of the new country’s energy resources, with Adnoc eventually raising its share of the offshore and onshore concessions to a majority 60 per cent by 1974.
In his role as undersecretary Ismail gained the respect of all who dealt with him, with a visiting delegation of British members of parliament in 1975 noting that he “spoke with complete frankness and lucidity".
In an interview for the Ministry of the Interior magazine 999 in 2014, he told of being asked almost on arrival in 1968 to represent Abu Dhabi for a meeting of the economic council of the Arab League in Cairo.
Explaining that he was still technically employed by the Iraqi government, he recalled that Ahmed bin Suwaidi, Sheikh Zayed’s foreign adviser and future Foreign Minister of the UAE, immediately ordered a telex “to the Baghdad government and [to] tell them that Abdullah Ismail has resigned from the Iraqi Oil Ministry".
A decree from the Ruler followed, making Ismail a citizen and confirming his member of the circle that would forge the new country.
Abdullah Ismail Bachi passed away on Tuesday evening, November 16, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, and was buried at Baniyas Cemetary.
Condolences will take place from 6pm to 9pm on Saturday November 20 at Al Thuraya Hall of the Beach Rotana Hotel.
He is survived by his wife Tamima Toufiq Al Dabbas and children Firas, Inas and Ahmad.
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
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16. Russia
