QATAR-CUBA: REVIEW FOR SUSPENSION OF TITLE III OF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000400 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD ETTC PREL CU QA SUBJECT: QATAR-CUBA: REVIEW FOR SUSPENSION OF TITLE III OF THE LIBERTAD ACT REF: STATE 52541 ¶1. In response to reftel request, Post provides the following information on Qatar's relations with Cuba. -------------- Investment and Bilateral Trade -------------- ¶2. In April, state-owned real estate company Qatari Diar signed a USD 70 million deal with Cuba to develop a five-star resort on the island to consist of a 200-bedroom hotel and 60 deluxe villas. The investment is a joint venture with Gran Caribe, a company owned by the Cuban Ministry of Tourism. Three additional sites have been identified in Cuba for possible future development. ¶3. A Joint Qatari-Cuban Committee for Economic, Commercial and Technical Cooperation met for the fourth time in Doha on April 19 and endorsed a number of recommendations to strengthen bilateral relations in a variety of fields. The two sides committed to initiate projects in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. The Cuban delegation further expressed Havana's desire to work with Qatar's public and private sectors to implement and develop different projects designed to manufacture, patent and market medical products in Qatar and the GCC region. Qatar responded that it would deliver Cuba's request to GCC standardization officials during their next meeting. The two countries also agreed to bolster commercial exchanges. The Cuban delegation encouraged Qatari businessmen to participate in the Havana Expo in November. The parties also agreed to finish up all necessary steps towards creating the Qatari-Cuban Businessmen Council before the end of 2008. On Finance, the Cuban delegation expressed its desire to establish an agreement between the Cuban Commercial Bank and Qatari banks, while the Qatari side suggested opening a branch of Qatar National Bank in Havana. On tourism, Qatar Airways announced it would organize, in collaboration with travel agencies and the press, a tour to Cuba in order to encourage Qatari tourists to travel to the country. ¶4. There are several signed agreements in place between Qatar and Cuba, such as an agreement ratified in 2005 on encouragement and protection of investments, and a 2007 ratification of an agreement on the avoidance of dual taxation and the prevention of financial evasion regarding income tax. In December 2006, the Amir endorsed an agreement from November 2006 on administrative assistance for a customs law to prevent, track, and fight customs crimes. In July 2006, the two countries signed an air transport agreement. -------------- Exchange Programs -------------- ¶5. In May 2007, the Amir issued a decree endorsing a scientific and educational cooperation agreement signed in November 2006 between Qatar and Cuba. Qatar's National Council for Culture, Art, and Heritage has a cooperation agreement with the Cuban Cultural Ministry. Cuba occasionally participates in some Qatari cultural events such as the Doha International Book Fair. The Joint Committee for Economic, Commercial and Technical Cooperation discussed at its fourth session in Doha in April the possibility of carrying out joint scientific research projects in the health sector, with a special focus on primary health care. In April, Qatar and Cuba signed a medical services cooperation agreement that aims to identify areas of cooperation between the two countries in Qatar's public health sphere. Under the agreement, the Cuban side will establish and run a hospital in Dukhan city, some 80 km west of Qatar's capital, Doha. Cuban specialists will provide medical services at the hospital and advanced training courses to doctors, technicians and nurses in Qatar, as well as assess problems related to public health in the different state sectors. The two countries also agreed to organize Cuban Cultural Week in Qatar during the second half of 2008. In the energy sector, Qatar and Cuba agreed to develop a program to train executives of Cuba Petroleum Company at Qatar Petroleum. On the sports front, Qatar and Cuba agreed to organize training camps in Qatar aimed at building up the capabilities of Qatar's professional athletes. -------------- Promotion of Democracy -------------- ¶6. Post has no evidence that Qatar works to promote democracy and human rights in Cuba. DOHA 00000400 002.2 OF 002 -------------- Diplomatic Visits -------------- ¶7. The Amir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, in April visited Cuba, where he met with Cuban President Raul Castro. No details about the talks were revealed. In March, Qatar's Amir met with Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque on the margins of the 20th Arab League Summit in Damascus, where the Minister delivered a letter from Castro to the Amir. While leading the Cuban side to discussions of the Joint Qatari-Cuban Committee for Economic, Commercial and Technical Cooperation, Minister for Foreign Investment and Economic Collaboration (MINVEC) Marta Lomas Morales also met in Doha with the Amir. RATNEY