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The Federation of Arab Republics (FAR; Arabic: إتحاد الجمهوريات العربية, Ittiḥād al-Jumhūrīyāt al-'Arabīyah, lit. 'Union of Arab Republics') was an unsuccessful attempt by Muammar Gaddafi to merge Libya, Egypt and Syria in order to create a unified Arab state. Although approved by a referendum in each country on 1 September 1971,[1] the three countries disagreed on the specific terms of the merger. The federation lasted from 1 January 1972 to 19 November 1977.
Federation of Arab Republics
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| 1972–1977 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Anthem: "Walla Zaman Ya Selahy" (English: "Oh For Ages! My Weapon!") Humat ad-Diyar (English: "Guardians of the Homeland") | |||||||||||||||||
The Federation of Arab Republics in 1972.
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| Capital | Cairo (Egypt) Tripoli (Libya) Damascus (Syria) | ||||||||||||||||
| Common languages | Arabic | ||||||||||||||||
| Government | Republic under a confederation | ||||||||||||||||
| Legislature | Federal National Assembly | ||||||||||||||||
| Historical era | Arab Cold War | ||||||||||||||||
• Referendums held | 1 September 1971 | ||||||||||||||||
• Federation established | 1 January 1972 | ||||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 19 November 1977 | ||||||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||||||
• Total
| 2,895,128 km2 (1,117,815 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||
| Currency |
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| Today part of |
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In 1969, Arab nationalist military officers seized power in Libya. The ideological influenceofEgyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser over the new Libyan government was immediately apparent.[2] The administration was immediately recognized by the Arab nationalist governments in Egypt, Iraq, Sudan and Syria[3] with Egypt sending experts to aid Libya's inexperienced government.[4] Gaddafi propounded Pan-Arab ideas, proclaiming the need for a single Arab state stretching across North Africa and the Middle East. In December 1969, Libya founded the Arab Revolutionary Front with Egypt and Sudan as a step towards political unification, and in 1970 Syria stated its intention to join.[5]
After Nasser's death in September 1970, his successor, Anwar Sadat, suggested that rather than a unified state, they create a political federation. It was implemented in April 1971 which enabled Egypt, Syria and Sudan to get large grants of Libyan oil money.[6] In February 1972, Gaddafi and Sadat signed an unofficial charter of merger, but it was never implemented as relations broke down the following year. Sadat became increasingly wary of Libya's radical direction, and the September 1973 deadline for implementing the Federation passed by with no action taken.[7] In October 1973 Egypt and Syria, without consulting Libya, launched a coordinated offensive on Israel, initiating the October war.[8] Sadat agreed to open negotiations with Israel, seeking the return of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt from the violent Israeli occupation. Gaddafi was displeased by the war's limited objectives and the ceasefire, and accused Sadat of undermining the FAR[9] and betraying the cause.[10] Sadat responded by revealing he had intervened earlier that year to prevent Libya from sinking a civilian passenger ship carrying Jewish tourists in the Mediterranean Sea. Thereafter Egyptian–Libyan relations were marked by frequent accusations against each country's leaders, and further discussions regarding the pursuit of unity were abandoned.
Three simultaneous referendums on the Federation of Arab Republics were held on 1 September 1971, in Egypt, Libya and Syria.[11] In the Egyptian referendum the proposal was approved by 99.96% of voters,[12] in the Libyan referendum it was approved by 98.6% of voters,[13] whilst in Syria 96.4% voted in favour.[14]
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