The United Arab Emirates' federal council elected Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, the eldest son of the late Sheikh Zayed, as the new president. "The Federal Council unanimously elected this evening his highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, ruler of Abu Dhabi emirate, as president of the United Arab Emirates," the official WAM news agency reported on Wednesday.

Sheikh Zayed died on Tuesday after a long illness. The federal council, made up of the seven emirates of UAE, met immediately and elected Sheikh Khalifa as his replacement.

Sheikh Khalifa, 56, had been increasingly running the UAE before Wednesday's announcement. He heads Abu Dhabi's Supreme Petroleum Council, which drafts oil policy, and is deputy supreme commander of the armed forces. Sheikh Khalifa also heads the UAE's economic body.

Copyright Reuters, 2004