BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

05/09/2007

Arab sheikh leaves Belarus with young Belarusian wife

MINSK. Sept 5 (Interfax) - Sheikh Said bin Mactoum al Mactoum, who married a 19-year old resident of Minsk, leaves the Belarusian capital for Cyprus on Wednesday, manager of the Arab sheikh Rabi al Avadmi told Interfax.

"The prince and his new wife, a 19-year old Minsk resident, fly today from the Minsk National Airport. They will fly aboard an aircraft belonging to a private airline servicing members of the royal family to Cyprus where a trap-shooting competition will take place. They will then come to sheikh's motherland," Avadmi said.

The sheikh of the United Arab Emirates came to Belarus for a trap- shooting competition and extended his visit to Belarus twice. He also refused to take part in such a competition in Russia.

The sheikh's new wife had been working as an assistant waiter at the hotel Minsk for several weeks before she got acquainted with him, sources in the hotel told Interfax.

"The girl got acquainted with the sheikh when she brought him a glass of juice at his apartment," the hotel said, adding that "she resigned after what happened."

"Now she lives in the hotel Europe in downtown Minsk. She is a Minsk resident. Her father is Azerbaijani," the source said.

"Employees of the hotel have gotten acquainted with visitors of the hotel before, married them and left Belarus. However, this is the first time a waiter has married a man of such a level," the hotel source said.

Source:

http://www.interfax.com/3/309885/news.aspx