AMBASSADOR OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 
TO SPEAK ON PERSIAN GULF SECURITY

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., March 28 -- Fresh from Abu Dhabi,
where U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry visited earlier this
month, the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates will discuss
security challenges in the Persian Gulf at the University of
Virginia on Friday, March 31.  Ambassador H.E. Mohammad Bin Hussein
Al-ShaaliÕs speech at 2 p.m. in the Rotunda Dome Room will be the
first in a series of seminars and lectures sponsored by the
UniversityÕs new program in Arabian Peninsula and Gulf Studies.  The
talk is free and open to the public.
	W. Nathaniel Howell, former U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait and
now the director of U.Va.Õs Arabian Peninsula and Gulf Studies
program, says the speech will be timely in light of IranÕs alleged
arms buildup and the continuing uncertainty surrounding Iraq that
drew Defense Secretary Perry to the Gulf.  During this recent trip
Perry discussed cooperation with several Arab states, including the
United Arab Emirates, to preserve peace and security in the region.
	The Arabian Peninsula and Gulf Studies program, established
at U.Va. last year, springs from the extensive scholarship of
government and foreign affairs professor R.K. Ramazani, who
pioneered the study of the region in the United States.  Ambassador
Al-Shaali attended the Middle East conference held at U.Va. in
RamazaniÕs honor last September.
###
March 27, 1995
	REPORTERS AND EDITORS NOTE:  Ambassador Al-Shaali will be
available for media questions in the East Oval Room at 3:30 p.m.