QATAR RESHUFFLES AMBASSADORS

C O N F I D E N T I A L DOHA 000468 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/21/2019 TAGS: PREL INRB PINR QA IR EG DJ JA PK PL GM NL SUBJECT: QATAR RESHUFFLES AMBASSADORS Classified By: Amb Joseph LeBaron for reason 1.4 (b) and (d) -------------- (C) KEY POINTS AND COMMENTS -------------- -- The State of Qatar announced changes to its diplomatic representation this week, appointing eight new ambassadors. -- The most important selections were new envoys to Egypt and Iran as well as a new Permanent Representative to the United Nations. -------------- (C) COMMENTS -------------- -- Newly appointed Qatari Permanent Representative Hamad Bin Mohammad Al Thani (currently ambassador to Belgium and the EU) has previous experience working at Qatar's Embassy in Washington. -- The appointment of a new ambassador to Egypt, with whom Qatar has had tere relations since the Gaza war, could signal a change in the tone, if not substance, of the Qatari-Egyptian relationship. -- The GOQ's decision to select a new ambassador, Ibrahim Bin Abdelrahman Al Maghaiseeb, to Iran needs to be followed for any hints it may offer on the direction of the Qatari-Iranian relationship. The appointed envoy's background in MFA American and European Affairs (where he has worked cooperatively with Embassy Doha) may have had some bearing on his new posting. End Key Points and Comments. ¶1. (U) On July 22, 2009, a local Arabic-language newspaper, Al Arab, published a wide-ranging list of new ambassadorial appointments by the Government of Qatar. ¶2. (U) Of note, the Amir appointed Mishaal Bin Hamad Bin Mohammad Al Thani, a member of the ruling family, as Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. He will replace Nasser Bin Abdulaziz Al NasUr, who was selected as Qatar's new envoy to Beijing. -- Mishaal's branch of the Al Thani family has a strong base in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). His father, Hamad Bin Mohammad, was Qatar's Ambassador to Jordan and Mishaal was previously posted to Qatar's Embassy in Washington; he currently is ambassador in Brussels. ¶3. (U) Other notable appoints include new ambassadors to Iran, Ibrahim Bin Abdelrahman Al Maghaiseeb, and Egypt, Salah Bin Abdullah Al Bouanayn. -- Al Muowda previously served in Gaza, while Al Maghaiseeb is currently MFA Deputy Director of European and American Affairs. Both the ambassadors they are replacing have been reassigned to the MFA. ¶4. (U) The remainder of the ambassadorial appointments are as follows: -- Ali Bin Mubarak Al Mahanadi to Djibouti. -- Hamad Bin Ali Al Henzab to the Netherlands. -- Nasser Bin Mansur Al Hajri to Poland. -- Aulrahman Bin Mohammad Al Khalifi to Germany. -- Yusuf Bin Mohammad Bilal to Japan. ¶5. (U) Post will supply further biographical data as it becomes available. LeBaron