ESTABLISHMENT OF QATARI INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000578

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2037
TAGS: PINS PGOV EAID ASEC SOCI QA
SUBJECT: ESTABLISHMENT OF QATARI INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN
ASSISTANCE PERMANENT COMMITTEE; SUPPORT TO PLANNED UPGRADED
RESPONSE CAPABILITY

Classified By: Ambassador Joseph LeBaron; E.O. 12958; Reason 1.4(b) and
(d)


1. (C/NF) SUMMARY: Qatar is rapidly building a world-wide
disaster response and humanitarian relief capability, part of
the Qatari leadership's efforts to carve out a larger
regional and international role for their country. To better
coordinate these efforts, a recent Emiri decree established a
permanent interagency committee for humanitarian assistance
and disaster relief and recovery to be maintained and chaired
by Qatar's Internal Security Force (ISF),or "Lakhwia," which
will act as the principal responder to natural and manmade
disasters, both internationally and domestically. The
Director of the ISF's Training Department (and member of the
GOQ interagency C-17 acquisition committee) claimed that
Qatar has negotiated to receive one of two purchased Boeing
C-17s earlier than originally planned and was negotiating to
do the same with one of four C-130's. The advanced,
long-range military transport aircraft were being purchased
primarily for direct support to Qatar's international
humanitarian assistance response capability, and to remedy
previous problems ISF encountered with use of civil aviation
assets. END SUMMARY


2. (C/NF) RSO and PolOff met August 4 with Colonel Mahdi
Mutlaq Al-Qahtani, ISF Director of the Training Department,
to discuss the announced establishment of a permanent
interagency committee for humanitarian assistance (HA) and
disaster relief and recovery (DR). Al-Qahtani provided
Emboffs with a brief overview of past ISF HA/DR operations
abroad in Pakistan, Lebanon, Somalia, and Indonesia, since
the 2003 creation of the ISF Search and Rescue Teams (SRT).
He discussed the future consolidation of authority for HA/DR
operations under the permanent committee, the acquisition of
two C-17 and four C-130 aircraft for direct support to ISF
operations, and purchase of 17 off-road search and rescue
vehicles that are C-130 transportable. In addition,
Al-Qahtani felt the creation of a permanent committee under
ISF will provide the ISF authority to better organize and
respond to future disaster relief operations; such as
directing Qatari medical and charitable relief agencies and
coordinating logistical requirements with civil and military
aviation assets. The ISF would also welcome additional
training and cooperation with USG humanitarian assistance
organizations as possible partners in future relief
operations.

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COMMITTEE MISSION & ORGANIZATION
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3. (U) According to Emiri decree number 16 of 2008, the
Committee will be responsible for strategies and plans
necessary for rescue and relief operations, assessing the
level of damage and relief requirements, recommending the
deployment of humanitarian assistance teams, supplies and
equipment to affected areas, providing general supervision of
the rescue and relief operations and the provision of
humanitarian assistance, and coordinating Qatari efforts with
international humanitarian assistance organizations
(governmental and non-governmental).


4. (U) Sheikh Abdallah bin Nasser Al-Thani, ISF Commander and
Minister of State for Internal Affairs, will appoint the
head, deputy head, and other ISF members of the committee,
which will be further organized with an Assistant Committee
Chair for Humanitarian Assistance and Supply (Qatar Authority
for Charitable Activities); Assistant Committee Chair for
Medical Affairs (Hamad Medical Corporation); and
representatives from the Ministries of Defense, Foreign
Affairs, Interior, and Public Health; the Qatar News Agency;
and the Civil Aviation Authority. The members of the
committee have not been named; however, members outside the
ISF are required to be department-level managers or
equivalent. The term of the membership in the Committee will
be for three years, renewable for similar periods.


5. (U) The Committee will be required to submit a detailed
report on its activities to the Commander of the ISF after
completion of a rescue or relief mission, as well as an
annual report which includes the results of relief
operations, difficulties encountered, and recommendations to
fix problems. The Commander of the ISF will submit an annual
report and recommendations to the Council of Ministers.

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C-17 EARLY ACQUISITION: ISF DIRECT SUPPORT
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DOHA 00000578 002 OF 002




6. (C/NF) Al-Qahtani stated he was a member of the GOQ
interagency C-17 acquisition committee, and revealed that
Qatar negotiated to receive one of two recently contracted
Boeing C-17s earlier than originally planned, and was
negotiating to do the same with one of four C-130's. He
claimed Qatar would receive a C-17 in fall 2008 vice mid- to
late-2009, and that the aircraft would be primarily used for
direct support to Qatar's international humanitarian
assistance response capability. During previous HA/DR
operations, the ISF had run into problems contracting
civilian cargo aircraft and getting equipment and
humanitarian supplies from Doha to the affected areas. The
wait encountered was sometimes several days after ISF SRT and
Qatari humanitarian personnel arrived in country, and the
organic airlift capability will allow ISF to deploy with
their equipment and supplies and maintain operational control
of the asset. (NOTE: Al-Qahtani may have misspoken;
according to Embassy information from the Qatar Armed Forces
and Boeing, Qatar will receive the first C-17 in September
2009, vice an original plan of 2010, not in 2008 vice 2009.
END NOTE.)

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PURCHASE OF 17 OFF-ROAD VEHICLES
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7. (SBU) In late 2007, ISF purchased 17 off-road search and
rescue vehicles from Fresno, California-based Sportsmobile
West that are currently in transit by ship to Qatar and
expected to arrive by September 2008. The 17 Elite Search &
Rescue Vans consist of one command vehicle, two support
vehicles, two K-9 vehicles (8 dogs per van),and 12 transport
vehicles. Each of the 12 transport vehicles will accommodate
12 passengers each, for a total of 144 people at any one
time. All of the vehicles are based on a Ford Econoline
(E350) chassis; all are C-130 transportable and painted in
red ISF colors.

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COMMENT
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8. (C/NF) The establishment of the permanent committee is an
attempt to unify command and focus ISF humanitarian
assistance and disaster response operations in the future.
Qatar is rapidly building an assistance and relief capability
to respond world wide. For a country slightly smaller than
the size of Connecticut, with an indigenous population around
a quarter of a million, Qatari efforts to build a response
capacity appear to be part of the leadership,s strategic
goal of being seen as a regional and international player;
and using their wealth as a tool in extending their political
influence and enhancing bilateral relations.
LeBaron