FOREIGN MINISTER ON DEMOCRACY, TERRORISM, IRAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000524

SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ARPI SHAWN THORNE
ABU DHABI FOR MEPI OFFICE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM ECON PTER IZ IR QA
SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER ON DEMOCRACY, TERRORISM, IRAN

REF: A. 05 Doha 1907

B. Doha 480


1. Summary. First Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim
Al Thani (HBJ) gave a speech on democratization in the Middle
East April 1 during the Doha Cultural Festival. Answering
questions afterwards, he said that Qatar will hold the first
elections for the country's legislative body in early 2007. An
election law will be finalized before the summer. He was critical
of the United States and the west generally for imposing their
system of democracy in the Middle East. He said the results of
doing so in Iraq are not positive. End Summary.


2. In his speech, HBJ said that democracies in the region should
match the local culture and that good governance, transparency,
and the rule of law are all components of democracy. He added
that "no one is above the law" in Qatar. He said that the
"culture of democratization" represents a crucial task for all
Qataris. The speech was not particularly noteworthy, but HBJ
touched on a number of interesting topics in the question and
answer period, which lasted for more than one hour.

Qatar's Legislative Elections
--------------


3. HBJ said that elections will take place in early 2007. (Note.
He has made this point publicly before.) An elections law will be
issued before summer 2006; the law will clarify technical aspects
of the elections. He said that only Qataris born in the state
prior to 1932 [sic] will be eligible to be candidates, but that
everyone else with a Qatari passport "is a Qatari" and possess
the rights outlined in the constitution. The Amir and the Heir
Apparent are concerned about the political rights of naturalized
citizens and those of Qataris who moved to the country after the
date that provided full rights; HBJ said issuing a new law to
expand their rights was not within his area of responsibility; it
could happen in "one year or ten." Note: "Original Qataris" are
defined in the Nationality Law of 2005 as those living in the
country as of 1930. End Note.) Qatar's elections will be based on
30 electoral districts rather than a single national
constituency, as some had proposed. HBJ said this was to take
into consideration Qatar's tribal and family groups. The
constituency system is the most suitable one, he said, because it
allows for fair representation for citizens living outside the
capital.

Local Governance
--------------


4. A female professor at Qatar University complained about the
lack of opportunities for well-qualified women and said company
boards, the university's steering committee, and other
organizations were locked up by favorites who served on multiple
boards. HBJ joked with her that she should have made better
contacts during her career and that she was fortunate to be able
to make such criticisms openly with no danger of reprisal. He
added that board members are subject to removal "at any time" for
poor performance.


West and Democracy
--------------


5. HBJ appeared relaxed as he engaged the press and other members
of the audience. He said that the U.S. and the west want to
"impose" its version of democracy on the region and that this was
the wrong approach. The conditions in the Middle East are
different, he said; change should come from within. This has
happened in Qatar, which began the path toward democracy well
before 9/11. HBJ said conflict is the result of imposing beliefs
on others. "The Americans came to impose democracy in Iraq. I
don't think what we see is positive," he commented.

Conflict, but Not of Civilizations
--------------


6. HBJ said that after the cold war, two civilizations emerged --
one global and another Islamic. But conflict in the region is
based not on these differences but on energy and economics. That
is why we have not seen international powers involved in Somalia
in the same way. We own a very important commodity, he said:
Energy. It is Qatar's, but at the same time, consumers have their
rights as well as responsibilities with respect to the resource.

Terrorism
--------------


7. The Foreign Minister reacted to recent statements by Secretary
Rice that political conditions in the region have bred terrorism.
Arab leaders and the U.S. were both responsible for misleading
the Arab people by encouraging them to fight in Afghanistan under
the banner of Islam, he said. Arab governments should have
consulted closely with the U.S. before signing on to that policy.

Iran
--------------


8. Qatar, as a neighbor of Iran and a UN Security Council member,
would like to resolve the crisis over Iran's nuclear program
diplomatically. The IAEA operates with a technical mandate; the
UNSC performs the political work; and Qatar's strategy was to
help "bring points of view closer" to reach a peaceful solution.

Minister of Economy
--------------


9. HBJ said that the dismissal of the Minister of Economy and
Commerce (ref B) was "not the first nor the last" such action and
should not be considered unusual. It was not related to the
performance of the stock market. The minister blamed the recent
drop in share prices on "small investors" who lack a clear
vision. He said prices doubled over the year in the first quarter
of 2006 and trusts the Doha market to deliver excellent
performance by the end of the year.

Sunni and Shia
--------------


10. A Qatari woman asked about the status of the Qatari-Saudi
relations, noting that Qatar and Saudi are the wings of Wahabism.
"I don't want to see our young men go to Baghdad to fight
Shiism," she said. HBJ replied that relations with Saudi Arabia
are based on respect and that the wisdom of the leaders of the
two countries will lead to a more relaxed relationship. He said
that thankfully, Qatar does not face a Sunni-Shia'a rift because
of the strong social fabric of the society. He noted that in
Qatar no one can tell who is a Sunni or who a shia'a and that
Shia'a Qataris work in important positions in the government and
in business. Note: It appeared that HBJ was indirectly
criticizing Saudi Arabia for its treatment of Shia'as in the
Kingdom's eastern provinces.
NANTONGO