Ahmed Zaki Yamani
| Ahmed Zaki Yamani | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources | |
|
In office 9 March 1962 – 5 October 1986 |
|
| Preceded by | Abdullah Tariki |
| Succeeded by | Hisham Nazer |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
30 June 1930 Mecca, Saudi Arabia |
| Nationality | Saudi Arabian |
| Alma mater |
Cairo University New York University Harvard Law School University of Exeter |
| Religion | Islam |
Ahmed Zaki Yamani (Arabic: أحمد زكي يماني; born 30 June 1930) is a Saudi Arabian politician who was Minister of Oil (Petroleum) and Mineral Resources from 1962 to 1986, and a minister in OPEC for 25 years.
With degrees from various institutions including New York University School of Law, Harvard Law School, and a doctorate from the University of Exeter, Yamani became a close adviser to the Saudi government in 1958 and then became oil minister in 1962. He is best known for his role during the 1973 oil embargo, when he spurred OPEC to quadruple the price of crude oil. During that time, Yamani gained a colourful international reputation, known in the West for both diplomatic skills and his characteristic goatee.
In December 1975, Yamani and the other OPEC ministers were taken hostage by notorious terrorist Carlos (the Jackal) in Vienna, Austria. The hostages were released after two days riding an airplane across North Africa, even though Carlos was ordered by his superiors to execute Yamani and his Iranian counterpart Jamshid Amouzegar.
In October 1986, King Fahd dismissed Yamani. He also dismissed Abdulhady Hassan Taher, who was the founder of Petromin oils (now part of Aramco) and had a major role in the Saudi oil history. The reasons for this include the Saudi government's insistence on setting its own oil policy. Another reason could have been the power of the two oilmen, since they were both running the Saudi petroleum industry. In 1990, Yamani founded the Centre for Global Energy Studies, a market analysis group.
Zaki Yamani was born in Mecca on 30 June 1930, one of three children. His father, Hassan Yamani, was a Qadi in the Hejaz and a respected scholar of Islamic law, acting as Grand Mufti in Indonesia and Malaysia. Yamani's grandfather was Grand Mufti in Turkey. The Yamani surname originates from Yemen where his paternal ancestors came from.
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