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Cables mirror and Afghan War Diary
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| Identifier | Subject | Date | Office | Classification | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01DOHA1093 |
TALIBAN PROPOSAL FOR BIN LADEN ISLAMIC TRIBUNAL [...] No summary [...] |
2001-04-07 12:16:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL PTER AF PA QA |
| 03DOHA1748 |
IN-HOUSE VIEWS ON POTENTIAL HAMAS TARGETS [...] (S) SUMMARY. The organizations named in ref B, Qatar Charitable Society (QCS), Sheikh Eid bin Mohammed Charitable Society and the Qatari Joint Committee for Relief, are three of the four charitable entities in Qatar (the fourth is the Qatar Red Crescent Society). The GOQ is committed to combat [...] |
2003-07-10 11:43:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | EFIN PTER ECON ETTC QA |
| 05DOHA1005 |
FRAN TOWNSEND'S JUNE 2, 2005 MEETINGS IN QATAR [...] (S) Summary: Frances (Fran) Townsend, Assistant to the President and Advisor on Homeland Security, visited Doha for a few hours on Thursday, 2 June 2005. In her meetings with Sheikh Tamim the Heir Apparent, with the Amir (in which Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim sat in), and finally [...] |
2005-06-06 09:16:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | ASEC KPAO MARR PREL QA |
| 05DOHA1039 |
DISCUSSION WITH QATARI OPPOSITION FIGURES [...] (SBU) P/E Section hosted a small group of Qatari oppositionists for lunch on May 26. The guests conveyed the view that economic and political power are overwhelmingly in the hands of the state and that democratic ideas had not yet taken root in the overall population. There was some criticism o [...] |
2005-06-09 14:44:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV KDEM QA |
| 05DOHA1056 |
CONVERSATION WITH ISLAMIC SCHOLAR YOUSEF [...] (C) P/E Chief met with influential Islamic scholar Dr. Yousef al-Qaradawi in May. Qaradawi maintained an attitude of intellectual superiority and aloofness during the meeting. He made a point to reaffirm his well-known positions on suicide bombings against Israel and on interacting with Jews. H [...] |
2005-06-13 14:45:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KISL PTER PINR IZ IS QA |
| 05DOHA1081 |
G77 Begins the Second "South Summit" in Qatar [...] (U) Foreign Ministers of the Group of 77 UN bloc met June 13 in Doha as part of the second "South Summit." Heads of State, largely from the African, Pacific, and Arab regions, will meet June 15 and 16. The conference is expected to deal with issues of UN reform, international development assist [...] |
2005-06-15 08:57:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PREL ETRD KDEM QA UN |
| 05DOHA1096 |
QATAR REFUTES AL-QAIDA PAYOFF ALLEGATION [...] Post received the note verbale in paragraph two from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by fax on June 8. The message refutes the allegation made in a Sunday Times article May 1 that Qatar pays al-Qaida to spare it from attack. The note requests that the Qatari position be transmitted to the "high [...] |
2005-06-16 11:22:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PTER PGOV PREL UK QA |
| 05DOHA1131 |
G77 SUMMIT: NEW DEVELOPMENT FUND PROPOSED AT CLOSING [...] Summary. The G77 South Summit ended June 16 with a proposal for a new development fund to which Qatar would contribute $20 million. Leaders called on developed nations to meet the target of 0.7% of GDP toward overseas assistance. In addition to improved access to markets in developed economies, [...] |
2005-06-21 08:15:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON PREL ETRD KDEM XA XB XC XD XE XK XL XM XO QA UN |
| 05DOHA1132 |
ASIAN LABOR DEMOGRAPHICS AND EXPERIENCE [...] (U) Summary. Poloff hosted a group of Asian labor attaches for lunch on May 17. Labor attaches from Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka attended. Poloff also met individually with attaches from Bangladesh, China and India. For the most part, the attaches openly expressed [...] |
2005-06-21 08:41:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ELAB ETRD PHUM QA |
| 05DOHA1155 |
QATAR'S NEW CONSTITUTION TAKES EFFECT WITHOUT FANFARE [...] (SBU) Qatar's first constitution took effect June 9, replacing a temporary law in place since 1971. The event passed without any attention from the media or other official recognition. When the constitution was approved by popular referendum in 2003, there was much fanfare to highlight the occa [...] |
2005-06-23 13:05:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV KDEM QA |
| 05DOHA1158 |
MINISTER OF ENERGY ON GAS INVESTMENTS AND RESERVES [...] (SBU) Summary. Energy Minister al-Attiyah welcomed a possible visit by Secretary Bodman in November, telling senior officials from the Department of Energy "we will plan a good trip for him." Attiya discussed Qatar's investment plans with the DOE delegation and noted that Qatar expects to supp [...] |
2005-06-23 15:30:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EPET EINV PREL QA |
| 05DOHA1225 |
AMIR EXTENDS CURRENT ADVISORY COUNCIL SESSON FOR [...] (SBU) The Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, extended the current, all-appointed legislative body by one year, to June 30, 2006, according to official reports seen June 28. The Advisory Council's term was to expire on June 30, 2005 (ref A), in order to conform to Qatar's new con [...] |
2005-07-03 15:07:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV KDEM QA |
| 05DOHA1226 |
DIALOGUE OF RELIGIONS CONFERENCE: AMIR WELCOMES [...] (U) Summary. The Amir of Qatar opened the Third Conference on Dialogue of Religions and welcomed Jewish participants for the first time. (Though none came from Israel, there was a five- member delegation of rabbis from the U.S.) In his opening remarks, the Amir expressed liberal views on reform [...] |
2005-07-04 08:45:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV KISL IS QA |
| 05DOHA1240 |
HOW ELITE QATARI WOMEN VIEW THEMSELVES [...] (U) Summary. The Political Section has been following up with Qatari women throughout the last few months to gain their perspective on various facets of Qatari society and the changing role of women. At a recent gathering of elite Qatari women, Poloff asked the women to express their views on a [...] |
2005-07-06 12:26:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PHUM PINS PREL SOCI QA |
| 05DOHA1268 |
QARADAWI VIEWED LOCALLY AS A MODERATE SCHOLAR [...] (C) Summary. Dr. Yousef al-Qaradawi is the most influential Muslim scholar in Qatar. His positions on social issues are seen as moderate by his followers. He plays an important role in Islamic banking in the country. His personal wealth is due to favors bestowed by the ruling Al Thani family. [...] |
2005-07-12 14:43:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KISL PTER QA |
| 05DOHA1443 |
QATAR WELCOMES ISRAEL'S WITHDRAWAL FROM GAZA [...] The government of Qatar announced its satisfaction with the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in a diplomatic circular received August 16. The circular included an "unofficial translation" in English (para. 2). In its statement, the GOQ calls for withdrawal from all Palestinian territories [...] |
2005-08-17 14:13:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL GZ IS QA |
| 05DOHA1445 |
DATA REQUEST: QATARI ASSISTANCE TO THE PALESTINIAN [...] No summary [...] |
2005-08-18 10:41:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | EAID EFIN PREL IS WE GZ QA |
| 05DOHA1468 |
OULD AL-TAYA ARRIVES IN DOHA, JOINING OTHER EXILES [...] (U) Ousted Mauritanian president Maouiya Ould al-Taya arrived in Doha at 8 PM August 22 with his family. According to a local news report, he was also accompanied by the "teacher of his children" and is staying at a luxury hotel. He arrived on a Qatar Airways plane via Cairo. Sources indicate [...] |
2005-08-24 13:58:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KDEM PTER KISL XA QA |
| 05DOHA1474 |
CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION UPDATE: QATAR [...] (C) Post delivered reftel points, including the offer to meet Qatari officials at The Hague, to the MFA. Ambassador had previously discussed Washington's offer to send officials to Doha before or after Ramadan 2005 to discuss the CWC Challenge Inspections issue. Post has also delivered the dra [...] |
2005-08-25 13:17:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PARM MARR PREL KTIA QA |
| 05DOHA1567 |
AL JAZEERA INTERNATIONAL: THE HASSAN AND JOSH SHOW [...] (SBU) Summary: Pol/Econ chief participated September 2 in the filming of an Al Jazeera International pilot program not intended for broadcast. The program, co-hosted by two personalities prominent in the 2004 documentary `Control Room', still lacks polish. AJI operations are still in a somewha [...] |
2005-09-13 10:50:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL KPAO QA ALJAZEERA |
| 05DOHA1593 |
9/17 MEETING WITH AL JAZEERA MANAGING DIRECTOR [...] (SBU) Summary: PAO met 9/17 with Wadah Khanfar, Managing Director of Al Jazeera (AJ). The following topics were discussed: Para 2: Khanfar's view of GWOT; Para 3: A new entity: "The Al Jazeera Network" Paras 4-7: Al Jazeera's relations with Arab governments (including Iraq's); Paras 5: USG [...] |
2005-09-18 13:08:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | KPAO PREL PTER QA ALJAZEERA |
| 05DOHA1605 |
AL JAZEERA CHILDREN'S CHANNEL [...] Summary: Al Jazeera Children's Channel was launched to great media fanfare in Doha on September 9. Ninety percent owned by Qatar Foundation, the new channel has a limited administrative relationship with the original Al Jazeera satellite channel. Developed and implemented in association with t [...] |
2005-09-20 06:48:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL KPAO QA ALJAZEERA |
| 05DOHA1609 |
FINAL MEETING WITH ISRAELI TRADE REP [...] (C) Summary. Dov Segev-Steinberg, Israeli trade representative, shared his views on a range of issues with Poloff in a final meeting before his departure from Qatar the last week of September. While the trade representative did not foresee any change in Qatar-Israeli relations and the current [...] |
2005-09-20 11:21:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV IS QA |
| 05DOHA1657 |
COMBATING EXTREMISM: QATAR [...] (S) The extent and nature of extremism in Qatar is limited by several factors. One is Qatar,s considerable wealth, which enables it to steer clear of the poverty-inspired extremism affecting poorer nations. Other factors are the small size of the country (comparable to Connecticut) and populat [...] |
2005-09-29 09:28:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | EAID KDEM KPAO PHUM PREL QA ALJAZEERA |
| 05DOHA1701 |
AMERICAN BUSINESSES IN QATAR EAGER TO DO THEIR [...] (U) Summary. Post continues its effort to promote labor standards and raise awareness of labor issues in Qatar. Recent efforts culminated in a presentation by Qatari Labor Department officials to the American Business Council of Qatar. The presentation highlighted the growing interest and conc [...] |
2005-10-05 12:25:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ELAB ETRD ECON PREL QA |
| 05DOHA1721 |
QATAR: CODEL REED'S 10 OCTOBER 2005 MEETING WITH [...] (C) Senators Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Chris Dodd of Connecticut met with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani (HBJ) in his private majlis at Al-Wajba Palace outside Doha on the evening of 10 October 2005. Senator Dodd is the third-ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relati [...] |
2005-10-12 10:19:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PTER QA |
| 05DOHA1726 |
SPORTS AS POLITICS: QATAR DONATES MILLIONS TO [...] No summary [...] |
2005-10-13 10:27:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV IS QA |
| 05DOHA1733 |
QATAR CONVICTS TWO EXECUTIVES OF INSIDER TRADING [...] (SBU) Summary. The State of Qatar recently convicted two senior corporate executives on charges of insider trading on the Doha Stock Exchange. One of the executives convicted, Saeed Abdullah Al-Misnad, is an uncle to the Amir's wife, the powerful Sheikha Mozah Bin Nasser Al-Misnad. When th [...] |
2005-10-13 13:27:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON ETRD QA |
| 05DOHA1734 |
EMBASSY DEMARCHES ON OBJECTIONABLE AL JAZEERA [...] (C) Summary: Ambassador and PAO met separately 10/13 with GOQ and Al Jazeera officials to express USG objections to material published recently on Al Jazeera's website (www.aljazeera.net) relating to the recent visit of U/S Karen Hughes to the region. Al Jazeera's website director acknowledged [...] |
2005-10-13 14:08:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KPAO QA ALJAZEERA |
| 05DOHA1744 |
QATAR: AMBASSADOR UNTERMEYER'S 14 OCTOBER 2005 [...] (U) The Ambassador met with Qatar's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani (HBJ) at Wajbah Palace during the evening of Friday, 14 October. ---------------------- Iraq Referendum ---------------------- 2. (S) HBJ said he had been ca [...] |
2005-10-17 14:08:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL PTER KPAO QA IZ |
| 05DOHA1752 |
QATAR: S/I JEFFREY'S OCTOBER 6, 2005 MEETING WITH [...] (C) Summary: Senior Advisor on Iraq James Jeffrey and an interagency team that included representatives from the NSC, DOD, and Treasury met with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani (HBJ) on October 6. HBJ assured the U.S. delegation that Qatar was committed to winning the [...] |
2005-10-19 07:08:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | IZ PREL PTER QA |
| 05DOHA1764 |
AMIR'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS TO ADVISORY COUNCIL [...] (U) Summary. On Tuesday, October 11th, the Amir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani delivered the opening address to the 34th session of the Advisory Council. The Amir's speech was perhaps more noteworthy for what it did not say, as opposed to what it said. The speech touched on Qatar's economic [...] |
2005-10-20 13:17:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PREL QA |
| 05DOHA1765 |
PAO MEETING WITH AL JAZEERA MANAGING DIRECTOR [...] (C) Summary: PAO met 10/19 with Al Jazeera Managing Director Wadah Khanfar to discuss the latest DIA report on Al Jazeera and disturbing Al Jazeera website content. Khanfar is preparing a written response to the DIA points from July, August and September which should be available during the co [...] |
2005-10-20 13:25:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KPAO QA ALJAZEERA |
| 05DOHA1779 |
QATARIS SEE TRUTH IN MEHLIS REPORT BUT ARE CAUTIOUS [...] (C) Summary. Qataris and resident non-Qatari Arabs (largely Palestinians, Jordanians, and Egyptians) are generally of the view that the Mehlis report on the Hariri assassination is credible but should not be used as a justification to use force against Syria. Qataris and non-Qatari Arabs hold [...] |
2005-10-24 13:37:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PTER SY LE QA |
| 05DOHA1786 |
MEETING WITH AL JAZEERA QUALITY ASSURANCE CHIEF [...] (C) Summary: PAO met 10/26 with Jaafar Abbas Ahmed, the head of Al Jazeera's Quality Assurance unit. Abbas spoke frankly of the difficulties the unit faces in encouraging the professionalization of Al Jazeera, including resistance and hostility from AJ's older generation of journalists. He said [...] |
2005-10-26 13:14:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KPAO QA ALJAZEERA |
| 05DOHA1790 |
DEMOCRATIC REFORM STRATEGY FOR QATAR - QUARTERLY [...] (C) This is a quarterly update on Embassy Doha's democratic reform action plan under the Middle East Partnership Initiative. This update addresses activities in three areas: strengthening the rule of law, developing open political competition, and developing civic education. Rule of Law --- [...] |
2005-10-27 13:35:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV KDEM KMPI ECON PHUM QA |
| 05DOHA1798 |
SYRIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER VISIT TO DOHA [...] (U) Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Walid Moallem visited Doha for several hours October 30, meeting with the Amir and Foreign Minister. His tour also included Jeddah, Kuwait, and Abu Dhabi. According to reports, Moallem emphasized Syria's desire the cooperate with the Mehlis Committee and said [...] |
2005-10-31 13:12:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL SY QA UNSC |
| 05DOHA1803 |
MEETING WITH AL JAZEERA MEDIA TRAINING CENTER [...] (SBU) Summary: PAO met 10/31 with Mahmoud Abdel Hadi, Director of the Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Center located in Doha, now in its second year of operation. Abdel Hadi said the focus of the Center is regional and that 1,500 Arab journalists have participated in the Center's pro [...] |
2005-11-02 10:41:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL KPAO KMPI QA ALJAZEERA |
| 05DOHA1805 |
DIRECT FUNDING PROPOSAL - QATAR [...] Embassy Doha requests $2,100 for curriculum materials and $1,900 for an instructor from FSI/Tunis to provide training for post's two teachers. See paragraphs 3 - 6. 2. Embassy Doha's Language Program: Post's two part-time instructors teach Arabic to three new beginners, one continuing begin [...] |
2005-11-02 11:15:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | AFSI AMGT QA |
| 05DOHA1809 |
QATAR ECONOMY HEATS UP [...] Summary. Qatari Minister of Economy and Commerce, Sheikh Mohamed bin Ahmed Al Thani, has highlighted the country's bright economic prospects in interviews with local press and in a front- page story in the recent Middle East Economic Digest. The economy is expected to grow by 25 to 27 percent, [...] |
2005-11-02 12:33:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EPET EINV PGOV QA |
| 05DOHA1823 |
SCENESETTER - VISIT OF ENERGY SECRETARY BODMAN TO [...] (C) Mr. Secretary, we are pleased to welcome you to Doha. Your visit is an important one: you will be the first cabinet-level U.S. official to meet with Qatari officials in Doha this year. Your visit will demonstrate the importance we place on the future of our energy relationship and will help [...] |
2005-11-09 12:33:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | EPET ENRG ECON ETRD EINV PGOV QA ALJAZEERA |
| 05DOHA1836 |
QATAR: TIP INTERIM ASSESSMENT [...] (U) Post is submitting the following update on Qatar's efforts to address weaknesses identified in the 2005 TIP Report for inclusion in the Interim Assessment Report. 2. (U) The GOQ has begun implementing the broad recommendations contained in the anti-trafficking national action plan. The [...] |
2005-11-14 10:27:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | KCRM KWMN PHUM PREL QA |
| 05DOHA1856 |
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: THE DISCUSSION THAT DID NOT [...] (C) The Amir's decision in May to lease land for the building of churches (reftel) surfaced in non-Qatari Arab and western newspapers at the end of October and early November. At issue was the degree to which the churches would be welcomed by Qatari society. The fact that it appeared primarily [...] |
2005-11-16 14:28:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PGOV SOCI KISL QA |
| 05DOHA1898 |
PREPARATIONS BEGIN FOR LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS [...] (U) The GOQ appears to have launched preparations for Qatar's legislative elections expected in early 2007. The First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, said that "Preparations are currently under way to hold the first-ever parliamentary poll in the [...] |
2005-11-28 14:25:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV KDEM QA |
| 05DOHA1907 |
QATAR: OUTLINE OF DRAFT NATIONALITY LAW [...] (C) Summary. A draft law on nationality shared with the Embassy limits the number of foreigners who can be granted Qatari nationality to 50 per year. Those nationalized would not have the right to vote and their citizenship could be revoked upon the recommendation of the Ministry of Interior. [...] |
2005-11-30 07:16:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM QA |
| 05DOHA1937 |
GOQ REQUESTS OFFICIAL EXPLANATION OF AL-JAZEERA [...] (C) Text of diplomatic note received by Ambassador Untermeyer on 4 December 2005: Begin Text: UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar presents its compliments to the State Department of the United States of America and has the honor to refer to the [...] |
2005-12-06 13:58:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KPAO QA ALJAZEERA |
| 05DOHA1961 |
DAS GORDON GRAY MEETING WITH SHEIKH HAMAD BIN [...] (U) Present on the Qatari side: Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani (HBJ), Foreign Minister and First Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar; Sheikh Jabor bin Yusuf al-Thani, HBJ,s Office Director and nephew; Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad al-Thani, daughter of the Amir of Qatar and newly-appointed Assistan [...] |
2005-12-11 14:06:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL KPAO QA |
| 05DOHA1976 |
DAS GRAY'S DECEMBER 1 MEETING WITH AL JAZEERA [...] (C) Summary: DAS Gray met with Al Jazeera Managing Director Wadah Khanfar December 1 in Doha. Topics discussed included the Daily Mirror story alleging President Bush considered bombing Al Jazeera offices in Doha; USG concerns about Al Jazeera's professionalism, and possible cooperation in the [...] |
2005-12-14 08:15:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KPAO QA ALJAZEERA |
| 05DOHA2022 |
QATAR: FIRST STEPS TOWARD THE FREEDOM TO ASSOCIATE [...] Summary. In the one year that has passed since the enactment of the Law for Societies and Private Foundations, only three private societies have received permission to form. Applicants for private status are critical of an application process that is lengthy, convoluted, and laden with restric [...] |
2005-12-22 11:12:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM QA |
| 05DOHA2037 |
QATAR: CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION CHALLENGE [...] (C) Summary. Qatari authorities balked at meeting a CWC Challenge Inspections negotiating team from Washington on December 15 because, in post's view, senior decision-makers had not been prepared by subordinates on the substance of the meeting. Officials also had not obtained sufficient decisi [...] |
2005-12-27 13:44:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PARM PREL MARR KTIA QA |
| 05DOHA2038 |
SECRETARY OF ENERGY BODMAN'S MEETING WITH AMIR OF [...] (U) U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman met with the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, on November 15, 2005, in the course of a two-day visit to Qatar. Secretary Bodman also visited energy installations and met SIPDIS with resident U.S. business executives. The meeting wit [...] |
2005-12-28 06:16:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | ENRG EPET EINV PREL IR QA |
| 05DOHA206 |
Special Media Reaction: Qatari coverage of the [...] SUMMARY: All the Qatari papers from 01/29-02/03/2005 provided front-page coverage for the Iraqi elections. The papers focused on the absence of Sunni Iraqi voters in the Elections, linking the poor participation to the deteriorating security situation. Today, all the papers front-paged the Qat [...] |
2005-02-03 10:12:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | OIIP KMDR KPAO PREL OPRC QA IZ MEPP |
| 05DOHA845 |
QATAR: UPDATE ON NATIONALITY ISSUE [...] (C) Summary. Over the past several months, post has received numerous reports from Qatari nationals that the government has revoked their nationality (reftel A). According to various sources, the group most affected by these revocations is the Al-Ghufran branch of the Al-Murra tribe. This trib [...] |
2005-05-10 13:51:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PGOV PREL PHUM PINR QA |
| 05DOHA849 |
QATAR: UPDATE ON UNDERAGE CAMEL JOCKEYS [...] (U) Summary. Recently concluded camel races in Qatar provided an opportunity to learn about the child camel jockey situation in Qatar. While the findings point to a significant problem, recent statements and pledges by government officials suggest that the GOQ may finally be taking some impor [...] |
2005-05-11 14:45:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREL PGOV ELAB KCRM QA |
| 05DOHA85 |
2005 INVESTMENT CLIMATE STATEMENT: QATAR [...] This report serves as the 2005 Investment Climate Statement for Qatar. It will be provided to assist U.S. investors wishing to do business in Qatar. 2. A.1 Openness to Foreign Investment: 3. The Government of Qatar, under the leadership of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa [...] |
2005-01-12 11:10:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | EINV EFIN ELAB ENRG EPET QA KTBD OPIC USTR |
| 05DOHA858 |
QATAR'S SPONSORSHIP LAW [...] (U)Summary. Sponsorship rules are believed by many to be at the heart of labor issues and disputes in Qatar. The current law requires expatriate workers to have the signed permission of their sponsors when changing employment or departing Qatar. Critics of the law allege that it creates a sy [...] |
2005-05-12 12:16:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ELAB ETRD PHUM QA |
| 05DOHA861 |
DOHA SECURITIES MARKET OPENING TO FOREIGN [...] Summary. On April 3 the Doha Securities Market (DSM) opened up to allow greater yet limited foreign investment in all sectors of the economy. The opening of the DSM has created a lot of excitement and speculation among Qatari investors who see opportunities to create wealth. However, foreig [...] |
2005-05-15 09:09:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EFIN ETRD QA |
| 05DOHA881 |
DEMOCRATIC REFORM MEPI STRATEGY FOR QATAR [...] Post has developed a three-pronged approach to advance the GOQ's democratic reform agenda. Our planning revolves around Qatar's first national legislative elections, expected to take place in 2006. Post sees the following as primary objectives of the MEPI partnership: promoting open political [...] |
2005-05-17 04:22:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV KMPI KDEM XF QA |
| 05DOHA910 |
GOVERNMENT OF QATAR AGREES TO LEASE PROPERTY FOR [...] On 10 May, representatives of Christian churches in Qatar signed an agreement at the Foreign Ministry for a 50-year lease on a large piece of property in Doha on which they will erect six churches at their own expense. The churches will pay nominal leases of only a few hundred dollars a year, [...] |
2005-05-22 11:58:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL QA |
| 05DOHA934 |
NATURAL GAS UPDATE: BAHRAIN PIPELINE, VENEZUELA [...] (SBU) Summary. A Ministry of Energy official told post that a natural gas pipeline to Bahrain announced in papers in Doha and Manama does not have much basis in reality. The official said that Venezuela had asked Qatar to participate in a project to supply LNG to the United States; the Qataris [...] |
2005-05-25 15:02:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | EPET EINV PREL VE BA QA |
| 05DOHA953 |
SCENESETTER FOR NSC FRANCES TOWNSEND'S JUNE 2, [...] (C) Let me extend a warm welcome to you from me and the team at Embassy Doha. Your visit fulfills a pledge President Bush made to the Emir last April for you to visit Qatar to explore enhanced counterterrorism cooperation. To that end, we have requested meetings with the Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin [...] |
2005-05-26 15:01:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL PTER MARR QA |
| 05DOHA962 |
PROPOSED MINI-ACTION PLAN FOR QATAR [...] (U) Embassy Doha has reviewed the TIP Mini-Action Plan in reftel and proposes several revisions to reflect recent actions taken by the Government of Qatar (GOQ) and to set out a realistic and achievable series of steps for the GOQ to take before July 30. Revised Mini-Action Plan is below. - [...] |
2005-05-31 11:47:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PHUM KWMN OPRC PREL KCRM SMIG QA |
| 05DOHA991 |
QATAR: DELIVERY OF 2005 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS [...] (U) DCM delivered advance draft of the 2005 TIP report and action plan for Qatar on Thursday, June 2 to Amb. Khalid Al-Mansouri, Director of the Americas and European Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2. (C) DCM informed Al-Mansouri that Qatar had been placed on Tier 3 based on the l [...] |
2005-06-02 13:42:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | OPRC KCRM KWMN PHUM PREL SMIG QA |
| 05DOHA993 |
QATAR NEWS AND RUMORS [...] (U) Some schools in Doha have established a forum called "small parliament" to discuss children's issues such as the Child's Rights Convention. Several young sheiks have participated in these small parliaments, which have held several meetings. The views expressed in these parliaments have bee [...] |
2005-06-05 11:55:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PREL ECON KISL KDEM ELAB PHUM EINV QA INL |
| 06DOHA104 |
ENTERING ITS TENTH YEAR, AL JAZEERA COVETS GLOBAL [...] (C) Summary: PAO met 1/18 with Wadah Khanfar, Al Jazeera Managing Director, to discuss Ref A demarche and continuing USG concerns with Al Jazeera programming. Khanfar described a series of initiatives planned by Al Jazeera to mark its tenth anniversary year with a view to positioning itself on [...] |
2006-01-23 08:24:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KPAO QA ALJAZEERA |
| 06DOHA106 |
A/S WAYNE MEETS WITH MINISTER OF ENERGY AND [...] (C) Summary. Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs E. Anthony Wayne met separately with Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Industry Abdallah bin Hamad al-Attiyah and Central Bank Governor Abdullah bin Khalid al-Attiyah on January 5. Treasury DAS Ahmed Saeed [...] |
2006-01-23 13:41:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL ECON EPET ENRG KTFN EFIN QA |
| 06DOHA1216 |
QATAR'S ISLAMIC FINANCIAL AND INSURANCE SERVICES [...] SUMMARY. Qatar's four main Islamic banks comprise up to 20% of the financial sector. The Islamic banks continue to grow rapidly, from $2.6 billion in assets in 2003 to $4.5 billion in 2005, attributing their success to ethical banking and due diligence. Islamic banking is in such demand that th [...] |
2006-08-14 11:07:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EFIN EINV BMGT BEXP QA |
| 06DOHA1237 |
PALESTINIAN DIASPORA IN QATAR: C-NE6-00547 [...] (C) Summary. Embassy officer spoke to several Palestinian private-sector businessmen on issues facing the community in Qatar. They viewed the election of Hamas as a protest vote but believed Hamas should have been given a better chance to govern and through governance, adapt to the reality of t [...] |
2006-08-17 14:05:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PINR KPAL QA |
| 06DOHA1244 |
DOHA SECURITIES MARKET: INDEX DROP, INVESTOR BASE, EXCHANGE [...] Summary. Doha Securities Market (DSM) officials and Doha-based investment analysts believe that the main reason for high volatility on the Doha Securities Market is that 90 percent of investors have no financial education. Other reasons given for the drop include high liquidity and a pack menta [...] |
2006-08-20 14:14:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EPET EINV PGOV QA |
| 06DOHA125 |
QATARI FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS IRAN AND MEETS [...] (U) Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani met the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmedi-Nejad, delivering a verbal message from the Qatari Amir, on Tehran January 23. He met with his counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, the following day. Qatari official press reported that HBJ described, i [...] |
2006-01-26 13:15:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL IR QA |
| 06DOHA1257 |
DISAPPOINTMENT IN ELECTED MUNICIPAL COUNCIL [...] (U) Summary. A recent newspaper survey revealed that most Qataris are disappointed in the performance of the Central Municipal Council, to date Qatar's only elected body. Critics said that the Council has no real power and has not accomplished anything of note. The survey suggests that Qataris [...] |
2006-08-21 14:31:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV KDEM QA |
| 06DOHA1265 |
QATARI AMIR: AFTER ARAB "VICTORY," TIME TO TALK [...] (U) Qatari Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani made the first visit to Lebanon by an Arab leader after the end of the recent fighting. Following a tour of bombed-out areas of southern Beirut, he held a press conference with Lebanese President Lahoud carried live on Al Jazeera, in which he said "t [...] |
2006-08-22 15:37:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL IS LE QA |
| 06DOHA1268 |
QATAR'S ASSISTANCE TO LEBANON [...] Mohamed al-Rumaihy, Assistant to the Foreign Minister and Vice Chairman of the Qatari National Committee for the Relief of the Lebanese People, told Ambassador August 22 that his country has spent USD 10-11 million post-conflict in Lebanon to date. He returned from a trip to Lebanon August 20 a [...] |
2006-08-23 11:09:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | EAID PREL LE QA |
| 06DOHA127 |
A/S SILVERBERG'S MEETING WITH QATARI FOREIGN [...] (C) Summary. A/S Silverberg met with FM Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani (HBJ) January 21 to discuss UN Security Council issues related to the Darfur conflict in Sudan and Syria's adherence to UNSC 1559. The Foreign Minister said Qatar is keen to cooperate with the United States. But he said he hoped [...] |
2006-01-26 14:30:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL IR SU SY QA UNSC |
| 06DOHA1288 |
SCENESETTER FOR VISIT OF ATTORNEY GENERAL TO QATAR [...] (C) Mr. Attorney General: Embassy Doha is pleased to welcome you to Qatar. Yours is the highest-ranking visit by a U.S. official to Qatar since the President himself came in June 2003, and the first cabinet-level visit to Qatar since Energy Secretary Bodman came in April 2006. The Qataris app [...] |
2006-08-27 10:43:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL PGOV OVIP QA |
| 06DOHA1301 |
DCM CONVEYS USG CONCERN OVER LEBANON CONFLICT [...] (C) Summary: During a courtesy call with Wadah Khanfar, Al Jazeera Network Director-General, DCM conveyed USG concerns about the channel's coverage of the recent Lebanon conflict. Khanfar said November 1 is the expected launch date of Al Jazeera English channel and that a replacement for himsel [...] |
2006-08-29 12:33:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | KPAO PREL QA ALJAZEERA |
| 06DOHA1384 |
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH SAYS IT WILL LAUNCH AFTER RAMADAN [...] (U) Summary: The Managing Director of Al Jazeera International told DCM the English language channel would likely launch in late October/early November, with limited U.S. distribution, at least initially. End summary. 2. (U) DCM, accompanied by PAO, made a courtesy call 9/13 on Nigel Parson [...] |
2006-09-17 09:00:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL KPAO QA ALJAZEERA |
| 06DOHA152 |
QATARI VIEWS ON ELECTION OF HAMAS IN PALESTINIAN [...] (C) Summary. The Qatari foreign minister said that Palestinian election results should be respected, as they came about by democratic means. Other Qataris and non-Qatari resident Arabs are cautiously optimistic that the Hamas victory will change the terrorist organization and will benefit the [...] |
2006-01-31 14:03:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PTER XF QA |
| 06DOHA1575 |
QATARI MFA: AL JAZEERA S NOT A BILATERAL [...] (C) Summary: After recalling its Ambassador from Qatar October 19 in protest at the content of an Al Jazeera interview with a Tunisian opposition member concerning the Tunisian government's hijab policy, the Tunisian government (GOT) announced the closure of its mission to Qatar October 25. A [...] |
2006-10-30 05:05:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | KDEM KPAO PGOV QA TS |
| 06DOHA1603 |
DEMOCRACIES CONFERENCE DOES NOT MEET EXPECTATIONS; [...] (SBU) Summary. The International Conference of New or Restored Democracies did not meet the Qatari hosts' greater expectations and a range of participants felt that international representation was at a low level. The Israeli FM's plans to attend and then cancellation left the conference organ [...] |
2006-11-02 15:07:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV KDEM KPAL IS QA |
| 06DOHA1610 |
IRAQ: QATAR CAN SUPPORT EDUCATION, INFLUENCE SUNNI [...] (S) SUMMARY. In contrast to its support for our military in the region, Qatar has not been an important partner on political issues regarding Iraq. Post believes Qatar can provide increased support in areas where it can achieve leadership, such as education and training. Its contacts with Iraq [...] |
2006-11-05 14:28:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL MARR MOPS IZ XF QA |
| 06DOHA1614 |
AL JAZEERA TURNS TEN [...] Al Jazeera celebrated its 10th Anniversary November 1 with a lavish celebration held in the open-air on the Al Jazeera compound in Doha. The event was attended by the Qatari Amir and his wife, Sheikha Moza, as well as a wide range of Qatari dignitaries and members of the diplomatic community, [...] |
2006-11-06 10:36:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL KPAO QA |
| 06DOHA1639 |
QATAR SEEKS USG SUPPORT FOR PARAGUAY TO HOST NEXT [...] (C) Mohamed al-Rumaihy, Assistant to the Minister for Follow-Up Affairs at the Qatari MFA and Qatar's chief organizer for the Sixth International Conference for New or Restored Democracies (ICNRD - see reftel), asked Ambassador November 8 for USG assistance in raising funds for Paraguay to hos [...] |
2006-11-09 13:11:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN | PREL KDEM QA |
| 06DOHA1659 |
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH LAUNCHES - FINALLY [...] MORE THAN TWO YEARS AFTER ITS INITIAL CREATION IN 2004, THE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE VERSION OF AL JAZEERA - NOW KNOWN AS AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE) - LAUNCHED TO GREAT FANFARE IN DOHA NOVEMBER 15. 2. IN LAUNCHING THIS PROJECT, THE AMIR OF QATAR HAS DISBURSED UNDISCLOSED, BUT UNDOUBTEDLY VAST, SUMS OF [...] |
2006-11-16 14:38:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL KPAO QA |
| 06DOHA1715 |
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH HEAD OF NEWS CAUTIOUSLY [...] (U) PAO met December 6 with Ibrahim Helal, Deputy Managing Director for News and Programming of Al Jazeera English (AJE). The Egyptian-born Helal is 36 years old and worked as program editor for the Al Jazeera Arabic (AJA) channel from its founding in 1996 until 1999. He then worked for Abu Dha [...] |
2006-12-07 11:04:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | KPAO PREL QA ALJAZEERA |
| 06DOHA1725 |
QATARIS WILL USE ARAB LEAGUE OR TEMPORARY [...] (SBU) P/E Chief spoke to Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohamed al-Rumaihy December 7 regarding the mechanism for transfering funds promised by the Qatari government to the Palestinian Authority (reftel). Rumaihy said that Qatar will "certainly" use the Arab League bank account or the [...] |
2006-12-10 14:16:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL KPAL EFIN EAID PTER GZ IS QA |
| 06DOHA1737 |
QATAR WILL CONSIDER DEPOSIT IN LEBANON'S CENTRAL [...] (C) Summary. Ambassador discussed the crisis in Lebanon with Minister of State Ahmed Al-Mahmoud (number two in the Qatari MFA) December 13. Al-Mahmoud said that Lebanon's Ambassador in Qatar had recently requested that Qatar act as a mediator between the Lebanese government and oppostion facti [...] |
2006-12-13 14:35:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL EAID EFIN MASS LE QA |
| 06DOHA1738 |
QATAR/UNSC - LEANING TOWARD SUPPORT ON IRAN [...] (C) Ambassador met with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Al-Mahmoud (number two at the Qatari MFA) December 13 to encourage Qatari support for the UK-French draft Iran sanctions resolution (reftel). Al-Mahmoud said Qatar followed French amendments closely and is "positively" incline [...] |
2006-12-13 14:35:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL UNSC IR QA |
| 06DOHA1743 |
CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION IMPLEMENTATION [...] DCM delivered ref demarche to Dr. Hassan al-Hamadi, Head of the Legal Affairs Department at the MFA, on December 13. Al-Hamadi said that Qatar has an inter-agency committee (of which he is a member) charged with implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention. "You will see it becoming more active [...] |
2006-12-14 10:35:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PARM PREL CWC OPCW CBW BWC QA |
| 06DOHA1745 |
AL JAZEERA QUALITY ASSURANCE CHIEF BELIEVES [...] (C) Summary: PAO met December 14 with Al Jazeera Quality Assurance Chief, Jaafar Abbas Ahmed, to review progress made by the Qality Assurance (QA) Unit in his assessment since Ref A report in October 2005. In the intervening period, Abbas was named head of QA for the overall Al Jazeera Network, [...] |
2006-12-14 13:12:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | KPAO PREL QA ALJAZEERA |
| 06DOHA1788 |
QATAR RECEPTIVE TO SECURE FREIGHT INITIATIVE [...] No summary [...] |
2006-12-27 13:12:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | EWWT KHLS ASEC PTER ECON QA |
| 06DOHA1789 |
TERRORIST FINANCE: LIKELY QATARI VIEWS ON POSSIBLE [...] No summary [...] |
2006-12-28 05:32:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PTER ETTC PREL EFIN KTFN QA |
| 06DOHA1791 |
REPORT OF VISIT TO TEHRAN FOR IAEA TRAINING COURSE [...] (S) Summary. A Qatar-based Jordanian nuclear expert believes he and other participants of an IAEA workshop in Tehran in December were targeted by internal security services. He said the Iranian nuclear agency had increased its security. The Iranian official in charge of safety at the Bushehr p [...] |
2006-12-28 11:16:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL KNNP IR QA |
| 06DOHA213 |
HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS IN QATAR,S LEGISLATION [...] Summary: At a recent workshop sponsored by the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), participants examined and discussed the extent to which Qatar's constitution and legislation meets international human rights standards. Participants from the government sector, academia, the press and quasi [...] |
2006-02-13 10:31:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PHUM PGOV PREL SOCI QA |
| 06DOHA219 |
AL JAZEERA AND KIDNAPPING TAPES [...] (S) Summary: Officials from Embassies Doha and Baghdad met with Al Jazeera leadership on Feb 11 to discuss Al Jazeera,s handling of videos that Al Jazeera receives from terrorist hostage takers, its broader editorial polices, and the media,s role in hostage and terrorist crises. Al Jazeera o [...] |
2006-02-13 13:07:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL KPAO QA ALJAZEERA |
| 06DOHA237 |
BRIEF READOUT ON AMIR'S MEETING WITH HAMAS LEADERS [...] (C) First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani (HBJ) hosted the Ambassador and his family for an informal dinner February 9. HBJ talked about the 3-hour meeting he and the Amir had that day with Khalid Mishal and two others. HBJ implied that the Qataris lectured [...] |
2006-02-15 12:35:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PTER XF QA |
| 06DOHA293 |
U/S HUGHES' MEETINGS WITH QATARI FOREIGN MINISTER [...] (U) Summary: U/S Karen Hughes visited Doha Feb 17-19 to attend the US-Islamic World Forum, sponsored by the Saban Center at the Brookings Institution and the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While in Doha, she met with the Foreign Minister and Sheikha Mozah, wife of the Amir. This cable rep [...] |
2006-02-26 13:14:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PTER KPAO IZ IR QA |
| 06DOHA3 |
DOHA SECURITIES MARKET: THIRD QUARTER 2005 [...] Summary. Qatar's stock market is keeping up with the frenetic, bullish trajectory of Gulf region stock indexes. Although the market has remained below the 12,000 trading range reached in the summer, it is up 85 percent from the beginning of the year. Speculation -- rather than value investing [...] |
2006-01-02 04:01:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EPET EINV PGOV QA |
| 06DOHA303 |
QATAR: 2006 ANTI-TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) [...] (U) Sensitive But Unclassified--entire report. 2. (U) Embassy Point of Contact is Political Officer, Farah Chery-Medor. Tel. 974-488-4101 ext. 6453. Fax 974 488-4163. One FS-04 officer spent 34 hours in the preparation of this report cable. 3. (U) Following is post's sixth annual Anti- [...] |
2006-02-27 12:58:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB QA |
| 06DOHA312 |
AL JAZEERA NETWORK BOARD OF DIRECTORS NAMED [...] (SBU) In an effort to maintain brand identity and consistency of message and quality, the GOQ established in late 2005 (reftel) an entity known as the Al Jazeera Network (AJN), charged with overseeing all bodies bearing the Al Jazeera brand name. On March 1, an Amiri decree announced the estab [...] |
2006-03-01 07:58:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL KPAO IZ QA ALJAZEERA |
| 06DOHA317 |
U/S HUGHES MEETINGS AT AL JAZEERA [...] (C) Summary: U/S for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes met February 19 with Al Jazeera managing director Wadah Khanfar at the Al Jazeera studios in Doha. She also participated in a roundtable discussion with Khanfar and four senior Al Jazeera staff members and recorded an Al Jaz [...] |
2006-03-01 12:38:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PTER KPAO IZ QA ALJAZEERA |
| 06DOHA328 |
Al Jazeera website director to quit; start new [...] (SBU) Summary: The director of the Al Jazeera Arabic website, Abdulaziz Al Mahmoud, said he is quitting his Al Jazeera job to take up the chief editorship of an Arabic newspaper called "Al Arab", which will become the fourth Arabic daily newspaper on the Qatari market. Al Mahmoud is the only s [...] |
2006-03-02 14:24:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KPAO PREL QA ALJAZEERA |
| 06DOHA360 |
NATIONALITY LAW: CITIZENSHIP AND POLITICAL RIGHTS [...] (C) Summary. The recent Amiri decision to restore citizenship to approximately 6,000 people who were stripped of their Qatari nationality last year came as a welcome surprise to thousands of people whose fate has been uncertain for over a year. Not coincidentally, the decision comes on the hee [...] |
2006-03-09 06:02:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM PINR PREL QA |
| 06DOHA362 |
QATARI WOMEN ON ELECTION ISSUES [...] Summary. The political section recently met with a group of Qatari women as part of Post's outreach activities to Qatari women in support of their efforts to realize broad political participation in society. Young and old women from various professional backgrounds credited Sheikha Mozah, wife [...] |
2006-03-09 13:35:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PHUM PREL KWMN KDEM KMPI QA |
| 06DOHA371 |
AL JAZEERA AND NORMALIZING RELATIONS WITH QATAR [...] (S) I recently asked LGEN Mike Maples USA, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), to address this question: "Does Al Jazeera's reporting/commentary incite violence against the United States?" I did so because I have long heard that Al Jazeera,s broadcasts do exactly this - or, wors [...] |
2006-03-12 10:05:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL PTER KPAO QA ALJAZEERA |
| 06DOHA418 |
ISLAMIC LEADERS DESCRIBE QATAR'S MODERATION [...] (C) Summary. Prominent Islamic scholars describe a prevailing state of tolerance in Qatar. While fundamentalist tendencies exist, followers are not hostile to other members of society. According to these Islamic leaders, the Qatari government's policy of promoting religious moderation has had [...] |
2006-03-19 14:20:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | SOCI PGOV KISL PTER QA |
| 06DOHA442 |
WHITE HOUSE MEETING FOR AMIR OF QATAR [...] (C) As part of the President's and Secretary's initiative to strengthen relations with moderate Arab countries, I strongly advise that the Amir of Qatar be invited to call on the President in the White House while he and Sheikha Mozah are in the US for their daughter's graduation from Duke. The [...] |
2006-03-23 05:55:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL QA |
| 06DOHA456 |
DOHA ROUNDUP [...] Topics: ----------- -Energy & Economy, paragraphs 2-4 -Labor, para. 5 -Civil Society, para. 6 -Drug Abuse, para. 7 --------------------------- Launch of Energy City Qatar --------------------------- 2. Hailed as the Middle East's first energy business hub, Energy City Qatar (ECQ), [...] |
2006-03-26 13:12:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL ECON EINV ELAB KDEM PHUM PGOV INL SOCI |
| 06DOHA461 |
COUNSELOR ZELIKOW'S MEETING WITH QATARI FOREIGN [...] (S) Summary. Department Counselor Dr. Philip Zelikow met with the Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs March 20 to begin a strategic dialogue between the two countries, consult on Iran, and enlist support for [...] |
2006-03-27 09:41:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL MARR KPAL XF IR IZ QA |
| 06DOHA464 |
COUNSELOR ZELIKOW'S MEETING WITH QATARI MINISTER [...] (C) In two meetings with Minister of Finance Yousef Kamal on March 20, Department Counselor Dr. Philip Zelikow outlined U.S. strategic thinking on Iran and regional security and commended Qatar for choosing the path of reform, progress, and prosperity. At a brief meeting in the Finance Ministry [...] |
2006-03-27 13:37:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN PREL EAID EINV KPAL IZ XF QA |
| 06DOHA465 |
SCENESETTER FOR U/S ROBERT JOSEPH'S VISIT TO DOHA [...] (C) Embassy Doha is pleased to welcome you. You will find the Qatari foreign minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani (HBJ), will be interested to meet you to further the nascent Strategic Dialogue put forth by Counselor Zelikow during his visit March 20-21. HBJ will be particularly intereste [...] |
2006-03-27 13:48:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL MARR KNNP QA |
| 06DOHA467 |
WADAH KHANFAR TAKES THE HELM OF THE AL JAZEERA [...] (C) Summary: PAO met March 27 with Wadah Khanfar, Managing Director of Al Jazeera satellite channel. Khanfar discussed his recent appointment as Director-General of the Al Jazeera Network, noting that his two mandates are to minimize costs by integrating the infrastructures of the diverse Al Ja [...] |
2006-03-27 14:49:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | KPAO PREL QA ALJAZEERA |
| 06DOHA48 |
A/S WAYNE BRIEFS QATARI OFFICIALS ON STRATEGIC [...] (C) Summary. The Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Finance Minister welcomed in principle the USG proposal presented by EB A/S Wayne for strategic investments in stability in the region. They were well-prepared and provided updates on their current assistance to the four priorit [...] |
2006-01-09 13:01:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL ECON EAID EINV EFIN KPAL IZ AF LE QA |
| 06DOHA480 |
MINISTER OF ECONOMY AND COMMMERCE REMOVED FROM [...] (U) Local papers March 29 announced that the Minister of Economy and Commerce, Mohamed bin Ahmed Al Thani, has been relieved of his ministerial post. The Minister of Finance, Yousef Hussain Kamal, will assume the economic and commercial portfolio on an interim basis, in addition to his present [...] |
2006-03-29 14:40:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL ECON ETRD EFIN QA |
| 06DOHA5 |
SCENESETTER - VISIT OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY ANTHONY [...] (C) Embassy Doha is pleased to welcome you back to Doha. We expect that you will find the Qatari leadership open and responsive to the proposed Strategic Investment Initiative (SII) for several reasons. Our goals for regional democratic reform largely coincide with those of Qatar. Also, the Qat [...] |
2006-01-02 09:30:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | ECON EPET EFIN KTFN QA |
| 06DOHA51 |
2006 INVESTMENT CLIMATE STATEMENT: QATAR [...] This report serves as the 2006 Investment Climate Statement for Qatar. It will be provided to assist U.S. investors wishing to do business in Qatar. 2. Begin text of Investment Climate Statement. A.1 Openness to Foreign Investment: The government of Qatar, under the leadership of the [...] |
2006-01-10 15:11:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | EINV EFIN ELAB ENRG EPET QA KTBD OPIC USTR ECON |
| 06DOHA524 |
FOREIGN MINISTER ON DEMOCRACY, TERRORISM, IRAN [...] 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 ear [...] |
2006-04-06 04:08:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV KDEM ECON PTER IZ IR QA |
| 06DOHA526 |
AMCIT AL JAZEERA NETWORK BOARD MEMBER CRITICIZES [...] (C) Summary: Mahmud Shammam, Washington bureau chief for the Dar Al Watan Newspaper and Newsweek Arabic, is an American citizen of Libyan descent, well-known for his criticism of the current Libyan regime and reportedly close to Qatar's Amir. Recently named a member of the newly-formed Al Jaze [...] |
2006-04-06 12:55:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | KPAO PREL PTER QA ALJAZEERA |
| 06DOHA552 |
IMAMS TO PREACH ON AVIAN FLU [...] Summary. As part of their broad strategy for preventing and containing avian flu, Qatari officials recently held a seminar to educate Imams, religious leaders, on the global phenomenon avian influenza. Imams were provided with practical information on the disease, how to detect and respond to [...] |
2006-04-10 13:08:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | AMED KFLU PREL CASC QA |
| 06DOHA559 |
FIVE YEARS ON: THE STATUS OF EDUCATION REFORM IN [...] (U) Summary: In 2001, the government of Qatar embarked on an ambitious mission to reform the country's education system. Under the banner of, "Education for a New Era," this initiative, led by the Amir's consort, Sheikha Mozah, aims to comprehensively reform education from kindergarten throug [...] |
2006-04-12 11:22:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KPAO SCUL KMPI QA |
| 06DOHA562 |
U/S JOSEPH MEETING ON IRAN WITH MINISTER OF STATE [...] (S) Summary. Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security Robert Joseph told Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed al-Mahmoud that Iran was approaching the "point of no return" on its nuclear program, after which it will be much more difficult and costly to stop the country [...] |
2006-04-12 14:15:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL KNNP IR QA UNSC |
| 06DOHA616 |
INCREASING DIPLOMATIC PRESSURE ON IRAN: QATAR'S [...] (S) Ambassador delivered ref A message to Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed al-Mahmoud April 18. Al-Mahmoud said that, as he told U/S Joseph during his recent visit (ref B), Qatar is in a "difficult position." He said Qatar's main interest is to resolve the crisis peacefully so that [...] |
2006-04-20 12:03:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL AORC EU EUN IAEA KNNP UNSC IR QA |
| 06DOHA670 |
FOURTH INTERFAITH DIALOGUE: AN "ACADEMIC" EXERCISE [...] Summary. On April 25-27, Qatar held its Fourth Interfaith Dialogue Conference. Representatives from the main monotheistic religions--Christianity, Islam, and Judaism--attended. This year's event witnessed notable differences from the previous three conferences. The conference was organized by [...] |
2006-05-03 07:39:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV KISL IS QA |
| 06DOHA77 |
SCENESETTER FOR A/S SILVERBERG'S VISIT TO QATAR [...] (C) Embassy Doha is pleased to welcome you. We expect that you will find the Qatari leadership welcoming -- in principle -- of cooperation with the United States on UN Security Council issues. Our goals for regional security largely coincide with those of Qatar; the number two in the foreign m [...] |
2006-01-17 14:53:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL PGOV ECON QA UNSC |
| 06DOHA793 |
AL JAZEERA ACCORDING TO WADAH KHANFAR [...] Summary: (U) On May 21, a Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) delegation met with Wadah Khanfar, Director-General of the Al Jazeera Network (AJN) and Managing Director of the Arabic Al Jazeera TV channel. Khanfar told the delegation that Al Jazeera, reflecting regional developments, has ent [...] |
2006-05-24 12:58:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL KPAO QA ALJAZEERA |
| 06DOHA868 |
A/S WELCH'S MEETINGS JUNE 4 WITH QATAR'S HEIR [...] (S) Summary. A/S David Welch met with the Qatari leadership, including Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and later with Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani (HBJ), June 4 to discuss Iran, Iraq, and Israel/Palestine. Relaxed and well-prepared, Sheikh Tamim, who handles defense [...] |
2006-06-06 12:28:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL KNNP KPAL IR IZ IS QA |
| 06DOHA923 |
AL JAZEERA PETITIONS IRAQI GOVERNMENT TO RETURN TO [...] (SBU) Summary: Wadah Khanfar, Director-General of the Al Jazeera Network, told PAO that Al Jazeera has asked the Iraqi government for permission to return to Baghdad and is awaiting a response. He said the decision to replace him as head of Al Jazeera Arabic is unlikely to occur before the end [...] |
2006-06-14 10:17:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | IZ KPAO PREL QA ALJAZEERA |
| 07DOHA1007 |
QATAR TO STUDY REQUEST FOR LEADING ROLE IN LEBANON [...] (C) Charge delivered reftel demarche October 22 to MFA Assistant Minister for Follow-up Affairs Mohamed Al-Rumaihi, stressing U.S. support for a Qatari leadership role in a joint EU-Arab Lebanon border mission proposed by Lebanese PM Siniora. Charge also emphasized our desire that Qatar garner [...] |
2007-10-22 14:21:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV LE QA |
| 07DOHA1009 |
QATAR MFA WARNED THAT VISA SUSPENSION LOOMS IF [...] (C) Charge d'Affaires, accompanied by P/E Chief, informed MFA Assistant Minister for Follow-up Affairs Mohamed Al-Rumaihi October 22 that November 1 would be the last day Embassy Doha could issue U.S. visas due to a shortage of visa foils, which the Embassy must receive by classified diplomati [...] |
2007-10-23 15:07:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | ADCO ADPM PREL CVIS ASEC ACOA ATRN KRIM QA |
| 07DOHA1020 |
QATAR GIVES ORAL ASSURANCES THAT DIPLOMATIC POUCH [...] (C/NF) Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Al-Mahmoud convoked Charge October 25 to discuss delivery of U.S. diplomatic pouches (see reftel for background.) Al-Mahmoud informed Charge that following the GOQ's review of the bilateral discussions on this matter, the GOQ had taken the dec [...] |
2007-10-25 14:42:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN | ADCO ADPM PREL CVIS ASEC ACOA ATRN KRIM QA |
| 07DOHA1021 |
QATAR AIRWAYS SECURITY UPDATE [...] (C) Econoff visited Doha International Airport October 29 to observe security screening procedures for the direct Doha to Washington/Dulles flight (see reftel for background). The flight had 90 passengers flying out of the economy terminal and another 20 from the separate first and business c [...] |
2007-10-29 13:32:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | EAIR ASEC KSAC QA |
| 07DOHA1040 |
SENIOR MFA OFFICIAL OUTLINES QATAR'S FOREIGN POLICY [...] (C//NF) Summary: MFA Assistant Minister for Follow-up Affairs Mohamed Al-Rumaihi in an October 23 presentation to a group of recently promoted senior U.S. military officers (CAPSTONE) gave a noteworthy overview of Qatar's foreign policy and made some significant remarks about domestic policy. [...] |
2007-11-04 13:42:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN | PREL PGOV KDEM QA |
| 07DOHA1042 |
PRIME MINISTER OFFERS "SINCERE ADVICE" ON IRAQ [...] (S) Summary: Ambassador Crocker briefed Qatar's Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani (HBJ) October 31 on the progress in Iraq and asked his assessment of building on this progress with the help of Arab states. HBJ said Qatar was a friend of the U.S. and wanted us to succe [...] |
2007-11-05 10:03:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL PGOV MASS IZ QA |
| 07DOHA1043 |
INFLATION, HOUSING COSTS TAKING TOLL ON QATARI [...] SUMMARY: Double-digit inflation in Qatar has become the norm, with increases in the housing sector felt most acutely. The high cost of living dominates public and private discourse. The government has begun to take steps to address inflation, though they have been ineffective thus far, and the [...] |
2007-11-05 12:35:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | AFIN AFSN ALOW AMGT APER ECON ELAB QA |
| 07DOHA1046 |
SUPPORTING ARGENTINA'S REQUEST FOR INTERPOL [...] (C) Poloff approached the MFA International Organizations, Conferences and Treaties Department October 28 regarding Government of Qatar (GOQ) participation in the November 5-8 INTERPOL General Assembly in Marrakech, Morocco and inquired about GOQ thinking regarding Argentina Red Notices (reft [...] |
2007-11-05 13:50:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KJUS PTER ASEC PGOV IR QA |
| 07DOHA1047 |
QATAR-ISRAEL COMMERCE CONTINUES QUIETLY [...] (C) The Israeli Trade Representation Office in Qatar opened in 1996 but, despite its name, focuses less on promoting trade than on facilitating political engagement, such as Shimon Peres' January 2007 visit to Qatar and various civil society interactions. (Note: See reftel for more backgroun [...] |
2007-11-06 10:09:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KBCT USTR QA IS |
| 07DOHA1050 |
QATARI IMPLEMENTATION OF UNSCRS 1737 AND 1747 [...] (C) The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Embassy via diplomatic note on October 25 that the GOQ examined the list of Iranian entities and individuals listed in the annexes to UNSC resolutions 1737 and 1747 and found "no accounts or financial transactions with the individuals an [...] |
2007-11-07 12:23:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | KNNP EFIN PARM QA |
| 07DOHA1052 |
QATAR FORGES ITS OWN "WAHABI" PATH [...] (C) Summary: Qatar's brand of Islam, according to three sources, is both traditional and progressive. It is traditional in that it is based on scripture and standing interpretations, but progressive in its tolerance for various Islamic schools of thought and moderate social strictures. Even [...] |
2007-11-08 13:51:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PHUM KIRF KISL QA |
| 07DOHA1053 |
QATAR'S DEPORTATION DETENTION CENTER - NO APPARENT [...] (U) Summary. A visit to the Qatar Deportation Detention Center (DDC) 30 October revealed little to no improvement over the previous year. What appear to be obvious trafficking-in-persons (TIP) victims continue to be administratively apprehended, detained and deported. End Summary. ------ [...] |
2007-11-08 13:51:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM PGOV PREL ELAB KWMN SMIG QA |
| 07DOHA1054 |
DEMARCHE ON QATAR'S HOLD ON UNSCR 1267 TERRORIST [...] (C) Econoff and British Political Secretary James Lynch delivered Ref A demarche November 8 to Adel Al-Khal, Director of International Organizations, Conferences and Treaties at the MFA. Al-Khal explained that at the time of the UN 1267 Committee meeting, the Qatari mission at the United Nati [...] |
2007-11-08 14:44:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PTER ETTC KTFN UNSC QA IZ |
| 07DOHA1071 |
QATARI MFA AND CENTRAL BANK VIEWS ON IRAN [...] (C) SUMMARY: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmad Al-Mahmoud told Charge November 14 that Iran's acquisition of weapons of mass destruction would be a "disaster" for Qatar, the U.S. and the region. Qatar agreed that a peaceful and diplomatic resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue was [...] |
2007-11-15 09:52:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL MNUC KNNP PARM EFIN IR QA |
| 07DOHA1073 |
GCC FOREIGN MINISTERS PREPARE FOR UPCOMING SUMMIT [...] (C) The Foreign Ministers of the GCC member states met in Doha November 11 to discuss the agenda for the heads of state summit, scheduled to take place in Doha December 3-4. Omani DCM Salim Abdulla Al-Alawi told Charge and P/E Chief November 14 that it appeared certain King Abdullah of Saudi [...] |
2007-11-15 15:03:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV GCC QA |
| 07DOHA11 |
SCENESETTER FOR UNDER SECRETARY FORE'S JANUARY [...] (C) Embassy Doha is pleased to welcome you to Qatar. The Government of Qatar remains a key ally of the U.S. in the war on terror and supports a significant U.S. military presence in the country. Qatar's Amir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, took power from his father in 1995 and embarked on [...] |
2007-01-03 13:44:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL AMGT PGOV ASEC CMGT QA |
| 07DOHA1104 |
QATAR CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR DOWNPLAYS CURRENCY [...] (C) Qatar Central Bank Governor Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al Thani told Charge and Econoff November 25 that recent press commentary speculating on an imminent move by GCC countries' to depeg or revalue their currencies is overblown. Sheikh Abdulla said Qatar's economy had been well served by [...] |
2007-11-26 10:33:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN QA |
| 07DOHA1112 |
QATARIS AMBIVALENT ABOUT IRANIAN THREAT FOR NOW [...] (C) SUMMARY: Qataris by and large remain ambivalent about the Iranian threat, especially with respect to Iranian intentions to acquire nuclear weapons. Key Embassy contacts paint a composite picture of Qataris' welcoming, on an emotional level, Iranian nuclear weapons capability to counter [...] |
2007-11-29 06:01:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV IR QA |
| 07DOHA1115 |
BOEING DELIVERY, FCS OPENING HIGHLIGHT COMMERCIAL [...] State-owned Qatar Airways took delivery today of its firs... [...] |
2007-11-29 13:54:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | BTIO ECON BEXP BMGT EAIR QA |
| 07DOHA1127 |
GCC SUMMIT OPENS IN DOHA WITH LOW PUBLIC [...] (SBU) The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit opened December 3 in Doha with all six heads of state, plus Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad in attendance. Though not on the written agenda, Ahmedinejad delivered a largely non-inflammatory speech that included a twelve-point proposal to a [...] |
2007-12-03 13:46:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL EFIN GCC QA |
| 07DOHA1133 |
GCC SUMMIT WRAPS UP IN DOHA WITHOUT NOTABLE [...] (C) The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit officially closed December 4 with a brief and low-key ceremony and with no notable achievements. Neither the Iranian president nor the UAE president attended the closing. (According to press reports, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad departed [...] |
2007-12-04 13:30:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL EFIN GCC IR QA |
| 07DOHA1134 |
BAN ON SAUDI POULTRY DUE TO AVIAN INFLUENZA MAKES [...] The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) announced November 13 the reoccurence of Avian Influenza in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Based on the OIE finding of H5N1 in the KSA, Qatar's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture, Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Khalifa Al-Thani, issued a M [...] |
2007-12-04 13:30:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | EAGR ECON PREL TBIO SENV KFLU QA SA |
| 07DOHA1136 |
QATAR LIKELY TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST GCC STATES TO [...] (C) P/E Chief delivered Ref A demarche December 5 to MFA Director of GCC Affairs Yousef Al-Jaber. Al-Jaber said the GCC heads of state discussed how to proceed on stabilizing Iraq in their December 3-4 Doha summit. According to Al-Jaber, the GCC states believed that the security situation i [...] |
2007-12-05 11:59:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL IZ IR TU QA |
| 07DOHA1141 |
READOUT ON GCC SUMMIT FROM THE DOHA ORGANIZER [...] (C) MFA Director of GCC Affairs Yousef Al-Jaber (strictly protect), who was the organizer of the December 3-4 Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Doha, provided P/E Chief December 5 a readout of the event and the preparations leading up to it. Had it not been for Iranian President Mahmo [...] |
2007-12-06 13:04:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL EFIN GCC IR QA |
| 07DOHA1172 |
SCENESETTER FOR DECEMBER 18 GULF SECURITY DIALOGUE [...] (S) In November, Qatar's Amir told the Commander of CENTCOM, Admiral Fallon, that he wants the Qatari leadership to seek ways to deepen its military partnership with the U.S. at all levels. While a desirable goal given the considerable equities we have in our relationship with Qatar, the Amir' [...] |
2007-12-12 14:19:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | MASS MARR PREL QA |
| 07DOHA1174 |
VODAFONE AND QATAR FOUNDATION BEAT AT&T FOR MOBILE [...] (U) United Kingdom-based Vodafone and its local partner, the Qatar Foundation (QF), won Qatar's second mobile phone operating license. The winning consortium plans to start operations in 2008 and would compete with government-owned Q-tel, currently Qatar's sole mobile telephone provider. Vod [...] |
2007-12-13 13:33:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECPS EINV BTIO QA |
| 07DOHA1187 |
DEMARCHE DELIVERED: SHARING DRAFT IRAQ UNSCR [...] (SBU) Poloff approached the MFA International Organizations, Conferences and Treaties Department December 11 regarding Government of Qatar (GOQ) support for extending the mandates for the Multinational Force - Iraq (MNF-I), Development Fund for Iraq (DFI), and International Advisory, and Moni [...] |
2007-12-16 11:00:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PARM PREL UNSC EFIN MARR QA IZ |
| 07DOHA1195 |
QATARI MFA OFFICIAL OFFERS ADVICE ON POST-NIE [...] (C) Summary: U.S. Representative to the IAEA Ambassador Gregory Schulte briefed MFA Assistant Minister for Follow-Up Affairs Al-Rumaihi December 11 on the recent National Intelligence Estimate on Iran and U.S. policy toward Tehran in the wake of it. As Qatar prepares to leave the UN Securit [...] |
2007-12-17 12:25:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PNUC ETTC IAEA IR QA |
| 07DOHA1199 |
QATAR LOOKS EAST TO SINGAPORE AS A MODEL FOR [...] (C) Summary: The Government of Qatar (GOQ) has over the past two years been building a strong, strategic relationship with the Government of Singapore (GOS), particularly in the areas of security and economic development. Both small, prosperous states surrounding by much larger neighbors, the [...] |
2007-12-17 13:29:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN MARR ECON PREL QA SN |
| 07DOHA1214 |
EMPOWERING QATARI WOMEN TO TACKLE FAMILY VIOLENCE [...] The Qatar Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA) organized November 25-26 a workshop on combating violence against women, a subject once considered taboo in Qatar. Even today, the Qatari Criminal Code does not define punishments or penalize offenders in this regard. Likewise, Qatar has not [...] |
2007-12-30 06:31:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV PHUM KDEM KWMN QA |
| 07DOHA135 |
QATAR FINANCIAL CENTRE: SOLID REGULATIONS, [...] Summary. On 28 January Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) regulatory officials told EmbOffs that the Authority has licensed 17 financial services firms and focuses on corporate governance as the primary risk in evaluating applications. The Authority, which regulates the QFC as a sort of financial fr [...] |
2007-02-07 12:18:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EFIN QA KTFN |
| 07DOHA137 |
C-NE6-02072 SHIA IN QATAR QUIET ON POLITICAL [...] (C) Summary. Shia amount to 5% of Qatari citizenry. They are well-represented in the business sector and also hold some important government positions, though not the most senior. Their mosques are un-regulated, and Sunni and Shia frequently pray together. Shia would like more official oversig [...] |
2007-02-07 13:51:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KISL IZ IR QA |
| 07DOHA163 |
SECURITY GAPS IN QATAR'S ONSHORE OIL FACILITY [...] (U) Summary. On January 30 Ambassador and Emboffs visited Qatar Petroleum's Dukhan compound and oil field. Qatar Petroleum is undertaking a major infrastructure upgrade at Dukhan to improve the administrative and living spaces. No armed guards were present at the compound and the area was prot [...] |
2007-02-14 13:39:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | ECON EPET QA ASEC PTER |
| 07DOHA168 |
PUTIN VISITS DOHA BUT NO TANGIBLE RESULTS [...] (C) Summary. Russian president Vladimir Putin met with the Qatari Amir in Doha February 12. The two agreed on the need for a Middle East peace conference, the date and locale of which was undefined. The two also agreed on holding discussions on an OPEC-like organization for gas producers at th [...] |
2007-02-14 14:45:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KPAL EPET UNSC RU IR QA |
| 07DOHA174 |
C-TN6-01921: SASOL CHEVRON FIRST OF MANY IN QATAR [...] (U) Summary. Sasol Chevron's Qatar Country Manager and Public Relations Executive told Emboffs February 6 that the GTL industry is in the phase that liquefied natural gas was 15 years ago, and they expect GTLs will follow the same course. Sasol's Oryx plant will produce 34,000 barrels per day [...] |
2007-02-19 10:38:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EPET QA EINV |
| 07DOHA201 |
QATAR PETROLEUM'S CONFIRMATION OF SECURITY PROCEDURES [...] Saad al-Kaabi, director of oil and gas ventures at Qatar Petroleum (QP), submitted by e-mail the following document in response to reftel. The QP document confirms, line by line, all of the security procedures noted during the January 31 videoconference between QP and U.S. energy, transportatio [...] |
2007-02-22 13:12:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ENRG EPET ETRD ASEC QA |
| 07DOHA202 |
RISING COSTS END EXXONMOBIL GTL PROJECT [...] (U) On February 21 Exxon Mobil and Qatar Petroleum (QP) terminated plans to build a gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant because of increasing costs to build the facility. The plant was supposed to be become the world's largest GTL plant, producing 154,000 barrels per day of base oils and synthetic fuel [...] |
2007-02-22 14:31:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EPET QA |
| 07DOHA206 |
QATARI MFA DOES NOT WANT NATO/ISAF TO BECOME A [...] (S) SUMMARY: Qatari Deputy Minister for Follow-Up Affairs Mohamad al-Rumaihi told Ambassador and DCM February 25 that U.S. personnel supporting the NATO/ISAF Afghanistan mission out of Al-Udeid Air Base are covered by the bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement. He nevertheless complained tha [...] |
2007-02-25 14:57:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | MARR NATO PGOV PTER QA XF |
| 07DOHA212 |
QATAR ESTABLISHING A TOURISM NICHE [...] (U) Summary. The acting Director General of the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) told Emboffs that in developing a tourism sector, Qatar is not looking to become a mass-market destination like Dubai but is aiming to be a niche market for East to West travel. The government has dedicated USD 18 bi [...] |
2007-02-26 09:32:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON QA |
| 07DOHA224 |
U/S HENRIETTA HOLSMAN FORE'S FEBRUARY 15 MEETING AT QATARI [...] (SBU) Under Secretary of State for Management Henrietta Holsman Fore met February 15 with Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Qatar's second-ranking MFA official) Ahmed al-Mahmoud to discuss consular notification of arrested Americans, Iran, Iraq, and other regional issues. Al-Mahmou [...] |
2007-02-28 04:18:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL CASC QA |
| 07DOHA260 |
QATAR: INPUT FOR THE SEVENTH ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN [...] (U) The following is post's input for the seventh annual Anti-Trafficking in Persons Report. Answers are keyed to reftel questions. 2. (SBU) Paragraph 27. Overview of a country's activities to eliminate trafficking in persons: A. (SBU) Is the country a country of origin, transit, or des [...] |
2007-03-08 09:25:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM KCRM KWMN SMIG KFRD PREF ELAB QA |
| 07DOHA271 |
QATAR'S LEADING BANKS SUPPORT ERO DIVERSIFICATION [...] Summary. In iscussions with senior management of Qatar's top two banks, Qatar National Bank and Doha Bank, Emboffs learned that the private sector anticipates Qatar's continued diversification away from the dollar as the country becomes more involved in the global economy. Bank officials also s [...] |
2007-03-12 10:37:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON FIN QA |
| 07DOHA285 |
INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES ON QATAR'S ENERGY SECURITY [...] (C) Summary. Security officials from ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, and KBR operations in Qatar told Emboffs of their current security measures and future plans. The companies do not have direct influence on the security of the plants they are invested in but some hope to change this in the futur [...] |
2007-03-15 14:24:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | ASEC ECON EPET QA |
| 07DOHA311 |
POST ACTION PLAN FOR ENGAGING QATAR ON ENERGY [...] (C) Qatar's intention to become the world's liquefied natural gas (LNG) and gas-to-liquids (GTL) leader by 2012 necessitates a robust energy infrastructure security program that it currently lacks. While the Qataris have adequately prepared a production and shipping infrastructure for the boom [...] |
2007-03-25 13:35:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | EPET ASEC ECON PREL QA |
| 07DOHA321 |
QATAR GAS SLOWLY MOVING FORWARD ON SECURITY [...] (C) Summary. QatarGas is in the midst of improving its security procedures with new equipment, better training, and more security personnel, the goal is to be ISO 28000 compliant in the next two years. While undergoing physical improvements, the QatarGas head of security is also trying to rais [...] |
2007-03-26 13:39:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | ECON EPET ASEC EWWT QA |
| 07DOHA330 |
QATAR AIRWAYS CHAIRMAN SEES MORE BOEINGS AND [...] (C) Summary: At a recent meeting with Ambassador, Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways (QA), discussed QA expansion plans for the near future, which he said now include the purchase of 60 Boeing 777 aircraft, up from an original buy of 20. According to Al Baker, QA will fly to Los Angeles and [...] |
2007-03-28 13:05:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET//NOFORN | ASEC CVIS EAIR PREL QA KHLS IR |
| 07DOHA335 |
INFORMATION EXCHANGE: QATARI BORDER DATABASES AND [...] (SBU) SUMMARY. THIS CABLE PROVIDES DETAILS OF QATAR'S USE OF IMMIGRATION DATABASES AND BIOMETRICS SYSTEMS AT PORTS OF ENTRY. IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS AT QATAR'S INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT SCREEN ARRIVING AND DEPARTING PASSENGERS FOR PREVIOUS PASSENGER RECORDS AND FRAUDULENT, LOST OR STOLEN TRAVEL DOCU [...] |
2007-03-29 13:34:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PGOV ASEC PTER KVPR CVIS PINR KHLS QA |
| 07DOHA339 |
RARE PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION IN QATAR: SOLIDARITY [...] (U) The Qatari Central Municipal Council organized a "rally" the afternoon of March 28 to show solidarity with Iraq. It lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes. The event took place at a central location along the city's corniche. Participants numbered a maximum of 400 and mostly included high-school and [...] |
2007-03-29 14:50:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV ASEC PREL IZ QA |
| 07DOHA351 |
FOREIGN MINISTER ASSUMES PRIME MINISTERSHIP [...] (U) Qatar News Agency announced today that the Qatari Prime Minister, Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani, who is the Amir's brother, has resigned. The First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani (HBJ), has replaced him while retaining the foreign affairs portfolio. T [...] |
2007-04-03 14:29:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL QA |
| 07DOHA353 |
QATAR ESTABLISHES LARGEST NATIONAL PARK IN THE COUNTRY [...] Summary. On January 22, 2007, the Government of Qatar (GOQ) passed a law establishing the largest national park in the country. Post and the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) have supported the project since its inception in 2000. The GOQ is now requesting further assistance from the U.S. to dev [...] |
2007-04-04 08:18:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | SENV PGOV QA |
| 07DOHA359 |
SECURITY OBSERVATIONS AT QATAR'S ENERGY PORTS [...] (C) Summary. Security at Qatar's most important ports, Ras Laffan and Mesaieed, currently meet the basic standards for infrastructure protection but many improvements could be made. Both ports are in the process of upgrading security with new equipment including x-ray units for passenger cars [...] |
2007-04-04 14:37:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | EPET ENRG ASEC PGOV QA |
| 07DOHA368 |
QATAR CENTRAL MUNICIPAL COUNCIL ELECTIONS SEE [...] Summary. Qatar held national elections for the third session of the Central Municipal Council (CMC) April 1. The turnout (nearly 50 percent) was higher than many predicted. One of three women running for the council was re-elected in a landslide. Voting ran smoothly without significant problem [...] |
2007-04-05 14:32:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV KDEM KMPI PREL QA |
| 07DOHA385 |
GAS EXPORTING COUNTRIES FORUM: NO GAS CARTEL [...] (U) Summary. Ministers at the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), representing the world,s top gas producers, rejected the idea of forming an OPEC-style gas cartel. The decision came after member countries, which together hold more than 70 per cent of natural gas reserves, discussed a propos [...] |
2007-04-10 13:56:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | EPET PGOV RU IR QA |
| 07DOHA388 |
LAUNCH OF RASGAS TRAIN 5 MAKES QATAR WORLD'S [...] Summary. Qatar recently launched RasGas Train 5, the world,s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility. The start-up of Train 5, which will produce 4.7 million tons of LNG per annum (mtpa), will increase Qatar's total LNG production capacity to approximately 30.7 mtpa, making it [...] |
2007-04-12 10:31:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | EPET ECON PGOV QA |
| 07DOHA420 |
DEMOCRACY FORUM: LEBANESE PRESIDENT AND SYRIAN [...] (U) The Amir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, opened the seventh annual Forum on Democracy, Development, and Free Trade April 23 with a speech that focused on the need for democratic reforms in the Arab region. He described a "sort of lassitude" in Arab movement toward reform in the region [...] |
2007-04-24 14:16:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV KDEM LE SY QA |
| 07DOHA433 |
FORMER ARAB KNESSET MEMBER BISHARA SPEAKS AT DOHA DEMOCRACY [...] (U) Former Arab member of the Israeli Knesset Azmi Bishara was a featured speaker on the "Political Reform: National Programs and External Projects" panel of the Doha Forum on Democracy, Development and Free Trade on April 24. Speaking without notes, Bishara asked how a state could be built on [...] |
2007-04-29 04:34:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL IS KPAL QA |
| 07DOHA439 |
QATARIS WILL SUPPORT KOSOVO RESOLUTION ON PRINCIPLE [...] (C) Summary. Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs told S/R Frank Wisner that Qatar "will support the same position you support" on Kosovo. He appreciated consultation on the matter. He said a Serbian envoy had tried to convince him to back a "middle way" -- but the Qataris were not swa [...] |
2007-05-01 10:58:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL UNSC XH QA |
| 07DOHA495 |
WADAH KHANFAR LOSES POSITION AS MEMBER OF AL [...] (C) Summary: In a long-awaited move, the Amir has appointed a new board of governors for the Al Jazeera Network (AJN). Highlights include: the retention of Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer as chairman; the replacement of Wadah Khanfar as a board member and possibly as manager of the entire AJ Network; [...] |
2007-05-16 08:55:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | KPAO PREL QA ALJAZEERA |
| 07DOHA507 |
QATAR INCLINED TO SUPPORT ALTERNATIVE TO BELARUS [...] No summary [...] |
2007-05-17 12:58:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREL QA |
| 07DOHA508 |
QATAR "FIFTY-FIFTY" ON SUPPORT FOR HARIRI TRIBUNAL [...] (C) Assistant Minister Mohamed al-Rumaihi, who holds the MFA's UN portfolio, told the Ambassador May 17 that Qatar was "fifty-fifty" on supporting the Hariri assassination tribunal. He said the tribunal was "important to approve," but then outlined reasons why Qatar believes the decision shoul [...] |
2007-05-17 13:03:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PTER LE SY QA |
| 07DOHA511 |
SCENESETTER FOR MAY 24 GULF SECURITY DIALOGUE IN [...] (C) Embassy Doha is pleased to welcome the Gulf Security Dialogue delegation to Qatar. This second GSD meeting and the first in Doha will mean a lot to the Qatari leadership. It will strengthen our mil-to-mil relationship and help in our efforts to moderate the Qataris' more objectionable fore [...] |
2007-05-18 12:52:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL MARR PARM IR IZ QA |
| 07DOHA556 |
QATAR STRONGLY HINTS IT WON'T SUPPORT THE SPECIAL [...] (C) During Gulf Security Dialogue discussions in Doha May 24, Acting PM A/S Mull expressed the hope that Qatar would vote for the UN Security Council resolution establishing the Hariri Tribunal under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter. Qatari MFA Assistant Minister Mohammad al-Rumeihi replied, "We wi [...] |
2007-05-24 14:05:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PTER UNSC LE SY QA |
| 07DOHA575 |
QATARI-U.S. GULF SECURITY DIALOGUE MAY 24 [...] No summary [...] |
2007-05-31 14:32:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL MARR KNNP EPET IR ASEC IZ SU LE QA |
| 07DOHA577 |
SCENESETTER FOR AMBASSADOR GREGORY SCHULTE'S VISIT [...] (C) Embassy Doha is pleased to welcome you to Qatar. This visit - your second - will mean a lot to the Qatari leadership. It will strengthen our cooperation on UN Security Council issues and help in our efforts to move Doha to take stronger positions on Iran and its nuclear activities, about w [...] |
2007-06-01 10:05:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL KNNP UN IR QA |
| 07DOHA581 |
QATARI-U.S. GULF SECURITY DIALOGUE MAY 24 [...] (C) Summary. State/DOD Gulf Security Dialogue delegation met with Qatari MFA, MOD, and MOI officials May 24 in Doha. The Qataris acknowledged the importance of maintaining ambiguity on whether there might be a military attack in response to Iranian plans to develop a nuclear weapon. Noting per [...] |
2007-06-03 08:25:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL MARR KNNP EPET IR ASEC IZ SU LE QA |
| 07DOHA594 |
QATAR LIKELY TO SUPPORT FURTHER IRAN SANCTIONS IF [...] (C) Summary. The GOQ's Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mohamed al-Rumaihi, who holds the UN portfolio, told Ambassador Greg Schulte June 4 that Qatar would likely support additional Iran sanctions in the UN Security Council if the sanctions did not exceed unspecified red lines. Rumaihi [...] |
2007-06-06 11:27:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET//NOFORN | PREL KNNP IR QA |
| 07DOHA606 |
NEW INDICATIONS THAT ELECTIONS WILL TAKE PLACE IN [...] (U) The Qatari Amir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, issued a decree June 6 which extended the term of the current Advisory Council to June 30, 2008. The term had been set to end June 30 of this year. The Advisory Council consists of 30 members appointed by the Amir; it had been extended, with some [...] |
2007-06-07 14:00:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV KDEM QA |
| 07DOHA641 |
BEGINNING OF THE END? KHANFAR STILL AT THE HELM OF [...] (C) Summary: Wadah Khanfar remains Director-General of the Al Jazeera Network (AJN), but no longer has responsibility for financial and administrative issues. Although Khanfar placed a positive spin on the recent AJN board reshuffle in a meeting with Emboffs, our assessment is that his position [...] |
2007-06-18 12:29:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | KPAO PREL QA ALJAZEERA |
| 07DOHA705 |
DELEGATION TO LEBANON: ARAB LEAGUE INITIATIVE [...] (C) Summary. MinState for Foreign Affairs Al Mahmoud told Ambassador July 2 that a special Arab League delegation that involved him had attempted to mediate between Lebanese factions during a June visit to Beirut to deal with the Lebanese political crisis. The group made no progress, for the i [...] |
2007-07-05 07:16:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL LE QA |
| 07DOHA709 |
SOMALIS MEET IN QATAR, REJECT RECONCILIATION [...] (C) Summary. A local NGO affiliated with Islamic hard-liners hosted Somali activists in Doha for a conference June 7-8 2007. Sheikh Sharif of the Islamic Courts movement and Sharif Hassan, former parliamentary speaker, participated. The event was paid for through a hard-line Sunni organization [...] |
2007-07-05 14:39:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PTER MOPS XF AL QA |
| 07DOHA710 |
SCENESETTER FOR VISIT OF ASSISTANT TO THE [...] (C) Embassy Doha is pleased to welcome you to Qatar. This is your third visit here, and the most senior USG visit since Secretary Gates met the Amir in January 2007. Your meetings SIPDIS can help define the tone of bilateral engagement on a range of issues over the coming 18 months, help s [...] |
2007-07-05 16:25:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL PINR IZ LE QA |
| 07DOHA713 |
DEMARCHE TO OIL EXPORTERS: QATAR "ON THE SAME PAGE" [...] (C) Minister of State for Energy and Industry Mohamed al-Sada agreed with Charge in a meeting July 9 that statements in support of high oil prices made it difficult for the U.S. Administration to oppose the No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act (reftel). Al-Sada nevertheless made the poin [...] |
2007-07-09 14:28:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | EPET PREL QA |
| 07DOHA723 |
QATAR TO CONSIDER GCC+2 MEETING [...] No summary [...] |
2007-07-15 13:33:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL XF QA |
| 07DOHA764 |
FREEDOM AGENDA: SUPPORT FOR DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS [...] (SBU) Qatar's April 1 municipal elections, the country's third, served as a focal point for democracy promotion in 2007. Ambassador and Emboffs engaged in a program of support and undertook the following activities: -- Ambassador hosted a series of salons at his residence to discuss election [...] |
2007-08-01 10:23:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PGOV KMPI KDEM SCUL KPAO QA |
| 07DOHA771 |
UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ATTENDANCE - QATAR [...] GOQ contacts have told us that the Qatari Amir will lead his country's delegation to the UNGA. The GOQ has not yet formed the full delegation, and specific travel plans have not been made. Post will report as information becomes available. 2. Currently available information: A. Attendan [...] |
2007-08-02 09:13:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL OVIP UNGA QA |
| 07DOHA78 |
SUNNI AND SHI'A DISCUSS RAPPROCHEMENT IN DOHA [...] (SBU) Summary. Prominent cleric Yousef Qaradawi called on Iraqi Shi'a and Iran to take steps to end sectarian violence in Iraq at Doha's Conference for Dialogue of Islamic Schools of Thought. Shi'a and other clerics said that Muslims must unite in the face of a common (some mentioned Zionist) e [...] |
2007-01-22 13:16:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL KISL QA |
| 07DOHA863 |
SUBJECT: QTEL CHAIRMAN DISCUSSES PLANS FOR IRAQ, [...] (C) SUMMARY: CDA and Econoff met August 29 with Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohamad Al Thani, Chairman of government-controlled QTel, and Dr. Nasser M. Marafih, QTel CEO, to discuss QTel investments in Iraq and elsewhere in the region, as well as ArabSat broadcasts of Al-Zawraa. QTel continues a rap [...] |
2007-08-30 11:04:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | ECPS EINV KPAL KPAO PGOV EG IS IZ KU QA |
| 07DOHA871 |
(C) SCENESETTER FOR DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE'S [...] (C) Embassy Doha welcomes you on this brief stop in Qatar. You last met with Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani (HBJ) in Washington in December 2006 in your capacity as DNI. In April 2007, HBJ also became Prime Minister, long an inconsequential portfolio held by the Amir's brother. D [...] |
2007-08-31 10:23:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL QA |
| 07DOHA897 |
DEPUTY SECRETARY NEGROPONTE'S MEETING WITH QATARI [...] (SBU) Deputy Secretary John Negroponte met the evening of September 9 at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Al-Mahmoud, the number two official in the Qatari MFA. Joining Al-Mahmoud were Assistant Minister Mohamad Al-Rumaihi, Director of Eu [...] |
2007-09-12 10:50:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | IAEA IR IS IZ KWBG PREL QA |
| 07DOHA922 |
NEW QATAR LABOR MINISTER PLEDGES COOPERATION ON [...] (SBU) Summary. State Department Special Representative for Social Issues Ambassador Grover Joseph Rees used his visit to Qatar September 4-8 to engage GOQ officials on the issue of forced labor and trafficking-in-persons (TIP) among the large migrant worker population. During a meeting with [...] |
2007-09-20 14:24:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM PREL ELAB QA |
| 07DOHA964 |
QATAR WILLING TO CONSIDER SOVEREIGN WEALTH FUND [...] (C) Summary: In September 18 meetings at the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank, a U.S. Treasury delegation led by DAS Saeed told the Qatari Finance Minister and Central Bank Governor that the USG remains committed to an open investment climate in the United States and invited Qatar's part [...] |
2007-10-03 06:55:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN EINV QA |
| 07DOHA972 |
QATARI TEXTILES AND APPAREL PRODUCTION [...] (U) Textiles and apparel production is not a significant part of Qatar's hydrocarbon-based economy. Until recently, there were a handful of textile factories in Qatar, many of which were started by investors from the Asian subcontinent as a means to avoid textile quotas from the global multifi [...] |
2007-10-04 12:37:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON ETRD KTEX QA |
| 07DOHA978 |
TERRORIST FINANCE: PRE-NOTIFICATION OF DESIGNATION [...] No summary [...] |
2007-10-08 13:37:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | KTFN EFIN PTER ETTC PREL IZ QA |
| 07DOHA979 |
QATAR AIRWAYS U.S. FLIGHTS - GETTING SECURITY RIGHT [...] (C) SUMMARY: Barely two months after the inauguration of direct Doha to U.S. flights via Qatar Airways, an assessment by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) inspectors found several major areas of concern for the flights, including insufficient passenger screening, particularly for wo [...] |
2007-10-09 09:41:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | ASEC KSAC EAIR QA |
| 07DOHA980 |
QATAR AGREES TO GULF SECURITY DIALOGUE IN [...] No summary [...] |
2007-10-09 11:51:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | MARR MASS PINS PREL QA |
| 07DOHA982 |
CODEL BOYD MEETING OCTOBER 5 WITH QATARI HEIR [...] (SBU) A congressional delegation led by Rep. Allen Boyd of Florida, and accompanied by charge, met Qatar's Heir Apparent, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, October 5 in Doha. In addition to Boyd, the Delegation included Rep. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Rep. Wayne Gilchrist of Maryland, Rep. B [...] |
2007-10-10 13:01:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL PGOV QA |
| 07DOHA983 |
UPDATED DEMOCRATIC REFORM STRATEGY FOR QATAR [...] (U) Embassy Doha continues to use a combination of programmatic and diplomatic means to assist the GOQ in its efforts to build and sustain democratic institutions. In line with the Mission Strategic Plan, Post has expanded its areas of emphasis to include: promoting democratic elections, pro [...] |
2007-10-10 13:23:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PREL KMPI AMGT KDEM ECON KPAO QA |
| 07DOHA986 |
QATAR NOMINATION FOR THE 2008 SECRETARY'S AWARD [...] Embassy Doha nominates Amal Abdullatif Al Mannai to receive the Secretary of State's Award for International Women of Courage for 2008. Amal Al-Mannai has been informed of her nomination and was flattered by the news. Requested information follows: Full Legal Name: Amal Abdullatif Al-Mann [...] |
2007-10-11 12:35:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | KWMN KPAO PREL PHUM QA |
| 07DOHA999 |
NEW QATARI MINISTRY OF LABOR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS [...] (U) Summary. As of October 1, the Qatari ministry formerly known as the Ministry of Civil Service Affairs and Housing officially became the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. Dr. Sultan bin Hassan Al-Dhabit Al-Dousari remained Minister during the transition. Most of the functions of the [...] |
2007-10-21 10:51:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PREL PINR ELAB QA |
| 08DOHA115 |
QATAR BEGS TO DIFFER WITH OUR ASSESSMENT OF ITS [...] (C) Charge, accompanied by P/E Chief, delivered Ref A and B demarches February 7 to Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmad Bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud (number two at the Qatari MFA), stressing our expectation of Qatar's full cooperation in support of the Arab League's goal of bringing about u [...] |
2008-02-07 15:38:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PHUM EFIN EINV KDEM LE SY QA |
| 08DOHA132 |
CHAD: DOHA EMBASSY OFFICER MEETING WITH CHADIAN [...] (S/NF) SUMMARY: PolOff met at the Embassy February 11 with Jebren Issa, the Chadian rebel group "Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD)'s" self-described international spokesman. Issa, a naturalized British citizen, asked for USG assistance in his group's cause against the cur [...] |
2008-02-13 08:13:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET//NOFORN | PREL PGOV PHUM PREF CH SU QA |
| 08DOHA146 |
QATAR ANNOUNCES ESTABLISHMENT OF "SILATECH" GLOBAL [...] (U) Sheikha Mozah bin Nasser Al-Misnad, the wife of the Qatari Amir, announced January 15 the establishment of the "Silatech" ("your connection" in Arabic) Global Youth Employment Initiative. The announcement was made at the First Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations held in Madrid. In maki [...] |
2008-02-20 10:46:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL PGOV KDEM ELAB UN QA |
| 08DOHA151 |
FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION CHAIRMAN'S [...] (U) During a February 4-8 visit to Qatar focused on broadening knowledge about the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry and sources of supply for the U.S. market, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Joseph Kelliher, Director of Energy Projects Mark Robinson, and Director of Ex [...] |
2008-02-21 09:17:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | ENRG EPET QA |
| 08DOHA152 |
QATAR: CI/KR RESPONSE FOR S/CT [...] (S/NF) Summary: Post assesses that U.S. investments in Qatar's energy industry, coupled with the onset of regular liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to the U.S. 2008-12, constitute the main critical infrastructure and key resources, which if destroyed, disrupted or exploited might have an im [...] |
2008-02-21 09:57:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET//NOFORN | PTER PREL PGOV ECON ETTC EAID EFIN EAGR ASEC |
| 08DOHA155 |
SCENESETTER FOR U/S LEVEY'S FEBRUARY 24-25 VISIT [...] (S/NF) Your February 24-25 visit to Qatar should advance our engagement with the GOQ on CT cooperation and counter-terrorist finance, and continue our on-going discussions with the Qataris on the need for vigilance against money-laundering and Iranian exploitation of the international banking [...] |
2008-02-21 12:19:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PTER KTFN QA IR |
| 08DOHA156 |
PEACEFUL PROTEST AGAINST UK DENIAL OF VISA FOR [...] (C) Summary: A peaceful demonstration of about 300 people took place February 20 in front of the British Embassy in Doha. The demonstrators protested the denial of a visa for Qatari-based Islamic scholar Sheikh Yusef Al-Qaradawi to travel to the UK. The protesters lambasted the "hypocrisy" [...] |
2008-02-21 13:44:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV PHUM KISL KIRF QA UK |
| 08DOHA169 |
QATAR UNLIKELY TO ISSUE WARNING ON IRAN TO BANKING [...] (C) In the context of a broader discussion about Iranian financial activity in the Gulf (see septel), Qatar Financial Center Regulatory Authority (QFCRA) Managing Director for Supervision Michael Lesser told Treasury Under Secretary Stuart Levey February 25 that the QFCRA is unlikely to issue [...] |
2008-02-27 13:23:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN KTFN KNNP MNUC IR QA |
| 08DOHA171 |
QATAR: INPUT FOR THE EIGHTH ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN [...] (SBU) Subsequent to the demotion of Qatar to Tier-3 status last year, information and statistics from Qatari Government and quasi-government stakeholders have been more difficult to obtain. All government stakeholders, including the National TIP Coordinator and the TIP shelter, have been instr [...] |
2008-02-28 13:16:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM PREL PREF KCRM KWMN SMIG KFRD ELAB QA |
| 08DOHA172 |
QATAR: INPUT FOR THE EIGHTH ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN [...] (SBU) Paragraph 29. PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS: A. (SBU) Does the government assist foreign trafficking victims, for example, by providing temporary to permanent residency status, or other relief from deportation? If so, please explain. - In 2005, the government opened a shelte [...] |
2008-02-28 13:17:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM PREL PREF KCRM KWMN SMIG KFRD ELAB QA |
| 08DOHA185 |
POLICY POINTS DELIVERED TO CHADIAN UFDD REBEL [...] No summary [...] |
2008-03-04 13:03:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET//NOFORN | PREL PGOV CH QA |
| 08DOHA186 |
U/S LEVEY URGES QATAR TO PREVENT IRANIAN BANKS [...] (C) During February 25 meetings, Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey commended Qatar's financial leaders for the progress they have made in expanding Qatar's financial services, warned them of deceptive practices being undertaken by Iranian banks and [...] |
2008-03-05 05:31:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | EFIN KTFN ECON QA IR |
| 08DOHA190 |
EASY MONEY AND A WELFARE-STATE MENTALITY CREATE [...] (C) SUMMARY. Qatar's impressive economic growth over the past few years has been accompanied by increasing economic and social challenges, particularly soaring levels of consumer debt. Meanwhile, the government is trying to wean its citizenry off a welfare state mentality but its own policie [...] |
2008-03-05 13:07:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | ECON EFIN ELAB QA |
| 08DOHA201 |
FM Calls for GCC-Iran Nuclear Talks, Urges Attendance at [...] (U) Summary: All the Qatari local dailies and Al Jazeera provided prominent coverage for a lecture delivered by Qatar's Premier and Foreign Minister Hamad Bin Jassim A Thani (HBJ) on March 9 on Gulf security at the onclusion of the seventh Doha Cultural Festival.HBJ advocated direct talks betwee [...] |
2008-03-10 14:32:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KPAO PREL MNUC IR QA |
| 08DOHA210 |
QATAR: VERDICT STILL OUT ON PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR [...] (C) Post delivered reftel demarche via diplomatic note March 6, requesting that the GOQ express support for Kosovo's independence at the March 13-14 ministerial summit of the Organization of the Islamic Congress (OIC) in Dakar, Senegal. Poloff followed-up March 10 with MFA International Organi [...] |
2008-03-13 05:22:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL UNMIK KISL UNSC QA |
| 08DOHA211 |
DEMARCHE DELIVERED ANNOUNCING OIC SPECIAL ENVOY [...] No summary [...] |
2008-03-13 05:24:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KISM QA |
| 08DOHA212 |
QATAR: DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON UNSC RESOLUTION 1803 [...] (C) Post delivered reftel demarche and copies of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1803 and P5 1 Foreign Ministers, statements March 6 to MFA, providing Qatar with information concerning obligations imposed on member states by UNSCR 1803, especially as it relates to the expansion of [...] |
2008-03-13 05:24:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PARM KNNP MNUC IR QA |
| 08DOHA213 |
QATAR CONSIDERS MAJOR CHANGE IN MONETARY POLICY [...] (U) Summary: Reversing all previous official statements, Qatar's Prime Minister indicated March 12 that Qatar might change the peg of its currency from the dollar in an attempt to constrain spiraling inflation. However, he said the government would not make such a major policy change unilater [...] |
2008-03-13 13:01:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | EFIN PREL INRB QA |
| 08DOHA223 |
QATAR MFA WILLING TO DISCUSS PLEDGE FOR [...] No summary [...] |
2008-03-17 06:01:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL PGOV EFIN EAID KWBG IS SA QA AE |
| 08DOHA224 |
QATAR'S AMIR TO ATTEND ARAB LEAGUE SUMMIT IN [...] (C) In a March 16 meeting, MFA Assistant Minister for Follow-Up Affairs Mohammed Al-Rumaihi (#3 MFA official) told Charge that "for sure the Amir will go" to the Arab League Summit in Damascus. Al-Rumaihi observed that "no one" has clear insights into all the dynamics of internal Lebanese pol [...] |
2008-03-17 09:11:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL LE SY QA |
| 08DOHA235 |
CDA CRITICIZES ARAB MEDIA CHARTER, STRIKES BACK AT [...] No summary [...] |
2008-03-20 13:16:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | KPAO PREL EG QA ALJAZEERA |
| 08DOHA237 |
CDA CRITICIZES ARAB MEDIA CHARTER, STRIKES BACK AT [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: As a panelist at a public event sponsored by the Brookings-Doha Center on March 17, Charge expressed the USG's position that an Arab League charter proposing to limit satellite channels not be used to restrict media freedom (reftel). Charge said that media should be regulated n [...] |
2008-03-24 11:16:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KPAO PREL EG QA ALJAZEERA |
| 08DOHA239 |
SCENESETTER FOR FBI DIRECTOR'S APRIL 8-9 VISIT TO [...] (S) Director Mueller: Embassy Doha welcomes your April 8-9 visit to Qatar. Your visit is formally hosted by the Director of Qatar State Security (QSS), Nasir Al-Ali, and his deputy Mohamad Al-Misnad. During your last visit here, in December 2004, you met with Minister of State for Internal [...] |
2008-03-26 12:37:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL PGOV PTER PHUM QA |
| 08DOHA24 |
SCENESETTER FOR SECRETARY BODMAN'S JANUARY 21-22 [...] (C) Embassy Doha welcomes your January 21-22 visit to Qatar. You last met with Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Energy and Industry Abdullah Al-Attiyah in Rome in November 2007. Prior to that, he visited you in Washington in May 2007, and you saw him in Doha in April 2006 and November 200 [...] |
2008-01-09 13:11:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | ENRG PREL QA |
| 08DOHA241 |
SCENESETTER FOR NEA ASSISTANT SECRETARY WELCH'S [...] (C) Ambassador Welch, Embassy Doha welcomes your visit to Qatar. We have requested meetings for you with the Heir Apparent, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, who has overall responsibility for security issues in Qatar; Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani (H [...] |
2008-03-28 11:21:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL PGOV PTER KWBG QA |
| 08DOHA244 |
QATAR: ADDITIONAL INPUT FOR THE EIGHTH ANNUAL [...] (U) The information below, which Post either received in the past week from from the Qatar National Office for Combating Trafficking in Humans (TIP Office) or otherwise just became available, details additional efforts to combat trafficking in persons (TIP) in Qatar during the reporting period [...] |
2008-03-31 13:11:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PHUM PREL PREF KCRM KWMN SMIG KFRD ELAB QA |
| 08DOHA253 |
Media Reaction: A/S Welch Visit to Qatar, April 1 [...] Summary: All the Qatari local dailies provided prominent coverage for the visit of NEA A/S David Welch to Qatar on April 1, 2008. The official Qatari News Agency (QNA) published that A/S Welch met with Qatar Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and discussed "bilateral relations and subjects o [...] |
2008-04-02 14:17:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | OIIP KMDR KPAO PREL OPRC QA |
| 08DOHA254 |
MFA OFFICIAL SAYS QATAR WILL IMPLEMENT UNSCR 1803 [...] (C) Pol-Econ Chief and Econoff delivered Ref A and Ref B demarches April 2 to Ambassador Abdulaziz Al-Sowaidi, Acting Director of the MFA's International Organizations Department. Noting that the international community recognizes the risks of doing business with Iran, Econoff emphasized that [...] |
2008-04-03 05:31:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | ECON EFIN ETRD EINV PREL PGOV PARM KNNP MNUC |
| 08DOHA256 |
DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL [...] (SBU) Ambassador James Foley, Senior Coordinator for Iraqi Refugee Issues, delivered reftel demarche March 26 to Ambassador Abulla Al-Jabor, MFA Acting Director for European and American Affairs at the MFA. Al-Jabor, noting that he was standing in for colleagues currently on travel, undertook [...] |
2008-04-03 11:03:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREF PHUM PREL QA |
| 08DOHA278 |
QATAR'S MINISTER OF STATE OFFERS VIEWS ON GCC+2 [...] (C) Summary: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Al-Mahmoud encouraged NEA A/S Welch over lunch April 1 to proceed with current U.S. thinking on the GCC 2 summit and urged him to include a discussion of Kosovo on the agenda. He described Qatar's relations with Saudi Arabia as "good" followi [...] |
2008-04-06 14:17:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KWBG KPAL QA |
| 08DOHA279 |
A/S WELCH'S MEETING WITH QATAR'S PM [...] (C) Summary: Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani (HBJ) told visiting NEA Assistant Secretary David Welch March 31 that he was not optimistic that the situation in Lebanon would improve anytime soon. He said it is necessary to fix matters with Iran and Syria -- and not i [...] |
2008-04-06 14:24:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KPAL KWBG QA |
| 08DOHA282 |
MEDIA REACTION: B-1 BOMBER LOSS AT AL-UDEID AIRBASE [...] (C) SUMMARY: All Qatari local dailies provided prominent front page coverage of an incident, in which a U.S. military B-1 aircraft was destroyed after it landed at Al Udeid Air Base (AUAB) in Doha on April 4 at 2110 local time. Al Jazeera satellite channel, which broke the story, provided ext [...] |
2008-04-07 13:32:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | KPAO MARR MOPS PREL QA |
| 08DOHA283 |
DISGRUNTLEMENT AT AL JAZEERA ENGLISH; IS A NEW [...] (C) SUMMARY: The Al Jazeera Network's English channel, less than two years out of the starting box, continues to hemorrhage middle and senior-level staff, including big names like American Dave Marash, who excoriated the station for taking on an anti-American bent. Charges that the English [...] |
2008-04-07 13:51:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KPAO PGOV QA |
| 08DOHA284 |
QATARI ORGANIZATION ASSISTING IRAQI REFUGEES IN [...] (SBU) Summary: Ambassador James Foley, Senior Coordinator for Iraqi Refugee Issues, met with the Director of Reach Out to Asia (ROTA), Omnia Nour, March 27 in Doha. As part of his tour of the region, Ambassador Foley intended to request ROTA's support for UN appeals for assistance to Iraqi r [...] |
2008-04-09 06:23:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREF PHUM PREL QA SY |
| 08DOHA286 |
(C) GOQ SOLICITS MASSIVE CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS [...] (C/NF) SUMMARY: In late March, the GOQ solicited over one billion dollars in donations from international oil companies (IOCs) operating in Qatar, and other companies doing business with Qatar Petroleum, to support the construction of a new medical center. The IOCs are shocked and angered by [...] |
2008-04-09 13:18:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | ENRG EINV EPET QA |
| 08DOHA291 |
QATAR'S PRESS FREEDOM TRIPPED UP BY HUMAN RIGHTS [...] (C) SUMMARY: Coverage of CDA's April 8 press conference on the Human Rights Report vividly demonstrated Qatar's continuing media freedom challenges, particularly censorship and self-censorship. English-language newspapers generally highlighted both positive and negative aspects of Qatar's h [...] |
2008-04-10 14:01:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM KPAO QA |
| 08DOHA301 |
QATAR'S ARRANGEMENTS WITH ISRAEL AND THE [...] (C) Qatar's Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani, in a March 31 meeting with NEA Assistant Secretary David Welch, summed up Qatar's views on resolving SIPDIS security-related aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict this way: "Qatar will accept any agreement acceptab [...] |
2008-04-15 09:09:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL KPAL KWBG IS |
| 08DOHA325 |
EMBASSY STIRS UP HUMAN RIGHTS DEBATE REGARDING [...] (C) SUMMARY: Reactions to Embassy's April 8 press conference on the annual Human Rights Report continued to appear in Doha's media, including a debate on the role of a free media in democratic development. Simultaneously, Qatari authorities shut down more than 80 companies for labor violati [...] |
2008-04-22 11:10:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PHUM PREL KPAO ELAB QA |
| 08DOHA332 |
QATAR'S REACTION TO ETHIOPIAN ANNOUNCED BREAK IN [...] (C) Summary: Indications are that critical Al Jazeera coverage of Ethiopia in recent weeks may have been the final straw in Ethiopia's decision, announced April 21, to break diplomatic ties with Qatar. The MFA official responsible for African Affairs told us the decision came as a complete s [...] |
2008-04-24 13:59:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL QA ET |
| 08DOHA349 |
RESPONSE: IMPACT OF RISING FOOD/COMMODITY PRICES - [...] Prices of all food/agricultural commodities are dramatically rising in Qatar. Analysts and businessmen attribute the price increases to a variety of factors, including higher prices in the countries of origin, higher transportation costs, salary and wage increases, and inflation. At the same [...] |
2008-05-01 06:50:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | EAGR TBIO ECON QA |
| 08DOHA356 |
ARAB NATIONS CREATE REGIONAL NETWORK TO FACILITATE [...] (U) SUMMARY: At a high-level conference of judicial and prosecutorial authorities from 22 Arab states, held in Doha on April 27 and 28, participants agreed to create a new liaison organization to help facilitate mutual legal assistance and extradition among their countries. The Government of [...] |
2008-05-04 11:25:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | KCRM SNAR AU FR XE MA DJ SU MR UN |
| 08DOHA359 |
OIC ENVOY SADA CUMBER'S VISIT TO QATAR [...] (C) Summary: President Bush's special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) met April 29 with Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Al-Mahmoud. Al-Mahmoud welcomed U.S. initiatives with the OIC but cautioned that changing Muslims' views of the U.S. would also [...] |
2008-05-04 13:53:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KISL QA |
| 08DOHA375 |
QATAR ANNOUNCES RECORD BUDGET OF USD 28 BILLION [...] The government of Qatar approved last month the largest budget in the country's history. Government officials touted the 2008-09 budget as proof that the country remains committed to its sustainable development plans. Private sector leaders believe the 2008-09 budget creates more favorable c [...] |
2008-05-12 06:10:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | EPET PGOV ECON QA |
| 08DOHA385 |
QATAR BOOSTS DIVERSIFICATION AND ESTABLISHES USD [...] Boosting diversification in its hydrocarbon extraction-dependent economy, Qatar last month began construction on three fertilizer plants valued at USD 3.2 billion. Upon completion of the projects in Mesaieed Industrial City (approximately 40 kilometers south of Doha), Qatar Fertilizer Company [...] |
2008-05-15 13:43:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | EAGR ENRG ECON QA |
| 08DOHA390 |
SCENESETTER FOR DHS SECRETARY MICHAEL CHERTOFF'S [...] (C) Mr. Secretary, Qatar is emerging as a major transit point for people and cargo in a volatile part of the world, creating new challenges for our counter proliferation, counterterrorism, and law enforcement efforts. Your visit to Qatar will help us solidify our relationships and deepen our [...] |
2008-05-19 08:18:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL PGOV PTER ASEC OTRA QA |
| 08DOHA393 |
WORKER RIGHTS IN QATAR: NOT JUST A PROBLEM FOR [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: Qatar's economy is booming and has become heavily reliant on expatriate workers. The resulting influx of foreign workers, currently estimated at nearly 90 percent of the population, has caused the Government of Qatar to take sometimes stringent measures to ensure that the large [...] |
2008-05-20 13:52:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM ELAB ECON SMIG QA |
| 08DOHA398 |
ANOTHER RAY OF LIGHT - DOHA INTERFAITH CENTER [...] (SBU) SUMMARY: The Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID) officially opened May 14 at the conclusion of the sixth Doha Conference for Interfaith Dialogue. Former President of Qatar University, Professor Ebrahim Saleh Al-Naimi, was appointed the DICID Chairman, and will ove [...] |
2008-05-21 16:11:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PGOV PHUM KIRF KISL QA |
| 08DOHA400 |
QATAR-CUBA: REVIEW FOR SUSPENSION OF TITLE III OF [...] 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 [...] |
2008-05-22 13:38:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ETRD ETTC PREL CU QA |
| 08DOHA407 |
SCENESETTER FOR TREASURY SECRETARY HENRY PAULSON'S [...] (C) Mr. Secretary, your June 1 visit is an opportunity to discuss four issues of immediate concern to Qatar and the U.S.: - Exchange rates and GCC currency pegs - Counter-terrorist financing - Iran - Sovereign Wealth Funds and Foreign Investment in the U.S. You have meetings confirmed wi [...] |
2008-05-28 15:35:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL ECON EFIN PGOV QA |
| 08DOHA416 |
EX-GTMO DETAINEE SAMI AL-HAJJ SEES HERO'S WELCOME [...] (C) SUMMARY: Former Al Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Hajj, recently released from Guantanamo, arrived in Doha with great fanfare on May 31 via a chartered Qatar Airways flight from Khartoum. Greeted by Al Jazeera Chairman Hamid bin Thamer al-Thani, members of the AJ Board of Directors, and hundr [...] |
2008-06-02 12:04:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KAWC PTER KPAO SU QA |
| 08DOHA417 |
EX-GTMO DETAINEE SAMI AL-HAJJ SEES HERO'S WELCOME [...] (C) SUMMARY: Former Al Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Hajj, recently released from Guantanamo, arrived in Doha with great fanfare on May 31 via a chartered Qatar Airways flight from Khartoum. Greeted by Al Jazeera Chairman Hamid bin Thamer al-Thani, members of the AJ Board of Directors, and hundr [...] |
2008-06-02 12:04:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KAWC PTER KPAO SU QA |
| 08DOHA422 |
QATARI OFFICIALS DISCUSS CURRENCY, SOVEREIGN [...] (C) Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson visited Qatar May 31 ) June 1 for meetings with Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, Finance Minister Yousef Hussein Kamal, and Central Bank Governor Sheikh Abdulla bin Saud Al Thani. All three officials told Secretary Paulson [...] |
2008-06-04 09:13:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | EFIN EINV PREL QA IR |
| 08DOHA443 |
TIGHTENING MORTGAGE LENDING RULES TO SHORE UP THE [...] (U) SUMMARY: Qatar is considering tighter rules for residential and commercial mortgages that would minimize the banking system's exposure to real estate market fluctuations, more tightly regulate property prices, and reduce liquidity in an effort to curb soaring inflation. The proposed rules [...] |
2008-06-15 09:03:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ECON EFIN QA |
| 08DOHA45 |
SARKOZY DISCUSSES NUCLEAR COOPERATION AND [...] (C/NF) French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited Qatar January 14-15, accompanied by Defense Minister Herve Morin, Economy Minister Christine Lagarde and 20 French executives as part of his regional tour aimed primarily at bolstering French business ties with Gulf states. According to the Fre [...] |
2008-01-21 10:57:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | ENRG EINV PREL TRGY KNNP KPAL FR QA |
| 08DOHA456 |
SPECIAL ENVOY FOR NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION MEETS [...] (SBU) Summary: Special Envoy for Nuclear Nonproliferation Jackie Wolcott and an interagency delegation of State Department, Department of Energy (DoE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) officials met June 12 with MFA and Qatar Foundation [...] |
2008-06-22 10:48:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ENRG KNNP PARM PREL QA |
| 08DOHA460 |
QATARI PRIVATE COMPANIES CONTINUE ABUSING LOW-PAID [...] (SBU) Summary: Over 400 Nepalese laborers were detained May 29 by the Qatari Ministry of Interior's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over a labor dispute with their employer, Trace Electronics. Despite legal protections for foreign workers, this incident demonstrates that private compa [...] |
2008-06-26 09:51:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | ELAB PGOV PHUM QA |
| 08DOHA475 |
QATAR CABINET SHUFFLE ANNOUNCED [...] (U) Characterized by local press reports as the "broadest and most sweeping" cabinet shuffle since the Qatari Government came into existence, Amir Hamad bin Khalifah Al Thani, accompanied by Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani (HBJ), appointed and swore in several new min [...] |
2008-07-01 14:02:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV ECON QA |
| 08DOHA482 |
DRL DAS BARKS-RUGGLES PROMOTES U.S. HUMAN RIGHTS [...] (U) SUMMARY: Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Erica Barks-Ruggles emphasized the importance of USG human rights reporting at an event on June 12 organized by the Brookings Doha Center. After her remarks, Barks-Ruggles answered a number of questions from audie [...] |
2008-07-06 08:27:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PHUM PREL KPAO QA |
| 08DOHA493 |
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ENGAGING QATAR ON [...] No summary [...] |
2008-07-09 13:35:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | PREL PTER XF AL QA |
| 08DOHA50 |
QATAR TO PROVIDE USD 5.5 MILLION IN MATERIAL AID [...] (SBU) The Amir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, directed the Qatar Red Crescent Society January 20 to provide QAR 20 million (USD 5.49 million) of immediate material aid to the Palestinian residents of Gaza. The aid will include medical supplies, food, and emergency electrical generation [...] |
2008-01-23 12:56:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM KPAL EFIN EAID PTER GZ IS QA |
| 08DOHA505 |
QATAR CONTINUES BALANCING ACT WITH IRAN'S BANK [...] (C) SUMMARY: Qatar's Deputy Central Bank Governor Sheikh Fahad Bin Faisal Al Thani told Charge the early June opening of a second Bank Saderat branch in Doha was the result of last-minute Iranian action on an old license. He asserted that the Central Bank is watching Iranian activity closely [...] |
2008-07-15 06:40:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL KTFN KNNP INRB PARM MNUC ECON EFIN IR QA |
| 08DOHA515 |
CABINET RESHUFFLE: POWER STRUGGLE OR GOVERNMENT [...] (C) SUMMARY: Consequences of the July 1 Cabinet re-shuffle (reftel) continue to be unclear, but Qataris and expat observers have begun analyzing the shifts in an attempt to determine who won and who lost among Qatar,s major power brokers. On the face of it, the creation of several new minist [...] |
2008-07-22 12:11:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PGOV PREL PINR KPAO QA |
| 08DOHA518 |
QATAR INVESTMENT AUTHORITY, PART ONE: HISTORY AND [...] (SBU) Summary: The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) - one of the newest and most secretive Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) - seeks to diversify Qatar's economic holdings away from hydrocarbons and a reliance on dollar-based assets. Formally established only in 2005, the fund is valued by p [...] |
2008-07-23 04:23:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | EINV EFIN ECON QA |
| 08DOHA521 |
QATAR INVESTMENT AUTHORITY, PART TWO: ASSETS AND [...] (SBU) Summary: The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) holds its estimated USD 60 billion in a wide variety of investments. Not content to sit on Treasury bills and other conservative, low-return assets, the QIA is buying significant stakes in Western and Asian firms, and taking on riskier inve [...] |
2008-07-24 13:18:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | EINV EFIN ECON QA |
| 08DOHA525 |
QATAR INVESTMENT AUTHORITY, PART THREE: FUTURE [...] (SBU) Summary: With plans on track for Qatar's natural gas production to double over the next few years, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) should have no shortage of fresh capital to invest. Beyond finding profitable investments to secure the long-term welfare of its people, the GOQ wants [...] |
2008-07-27 13:15:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | EINV EFIN ECON EAGR QA |
| 08DOHA526 |
QATAR ACCEPTS OIE GUIDELINES FOR U.S. BEEF, [...] Qatar's National Food Safety Committee decided on April 14, 2008 to harmonize its regulations on the import of beef with World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) standards. Due to internal GOQ discussions, Post had been unable to confirm the formal adoption of these guidelines by the GOQ bef [...] |
2008-07-27 13:17:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | EAGR ETRD QA |
| 08DOHA527 |
FORMER GUANTANAMO DETAINEE IN QATARI CUSTODY [...] (C) Former GTMO detainee Jarallah al-Marri was transferred to Qatari custody on Sunday, July 27 at 1230 hrs local time. Legatt met the USAF aircraft on arrival at Doha International Airport and witnessed al-Marri's transfer to officials of Qatar State Security. Qatari authorities brought al-Ma [...] |
2008-07-28 10:14:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PHUM KPAO KAWC QA |
| 08DOHA538 |
SUPPLY CONSTRAINTS PINCH QATAR'S BOOMING [...] (SBU) Doha's fast-growing construction industry continues to suffer from supply constraints as the availability of raw materials remains inadequate to meet surging demand. While construction only accounts for 6 percent of GDP, the sector registered a 22 percent growth rate last year, and the [...] |
2008-07-30 13:15:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | ECON EIND QA |
| 08DOHA539 |
SCENESETTER FOR DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE GORDON [...] (C) Embassy Doha welcomes your visit to Qatar. During your last visit here, in July 2005, you met with Qatari Armed Forces Chief of Staff MG Hamad al-Attiyah and other Qatari officials following MG al-Attiyah's unfortunate experience at a Florida airport. You also met with MG al-Attiyah durin [...] |
2008-07-30 13:56:00 | Embassy Doha | SECRET | PREL MOPS QA |
| 08DOHA545 |
AMBASSADOR'S SWEARING IN AND ARRIVAL GARNER [...] (U) SUMMARY: Ambassador's swearing-in ceremony in Portland, Oregon and immediate engagement in Arabic with the Qatari press, were well covered by the Qatari media and should present a solid basis for using the long-awaited arrival of a U.S ambassador to expand the Mission's engagement with t [...] |
2008-07-31 13:32:00 | Embassy Doha | UNCLASSIFIED | PREL KPAO QA |
| 08DOHA558 |
CHARTING EMBASSY DOHA'S COURSE - SYNCHRONIZATION [...] (C) Qatar is steadily emerging as a key regional partner for the United States - militarily and economically: -- Qatar hosts approximately 10,000 U.S. military forces at two major installations. These forces are heavily involved in the conduct of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, especially [...] |
2008-08-04 14:35:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL AMGT KSPR ECON QA |
| 08DOHA56 |
QATARI MFA OFFICIAL SAYS NUCLEAR AIMS OF GCC ARE [...] (C) MFA Director for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Affairs Yousef Al-Jaber outlined for P/E Chief January 24 current GCC thinking on the introduction of nuclear technology in Gulf states. According to Al-Jaber, the GCC formed a nuclear committee in early 2007 to explore cooperation on the ac [...] |
2008-01-24 14:16:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL ENRG TRGY KNNP QA |
| 08DOHA572 |
DEPSECDEF ENGLAND'S DISCUSSIONS WITH QATAR'S AMIR [...] (C) SUMMARY: Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England visited Doha August 5-6 for meetings with the Amir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and the Chief of Staff of the Qatar Armed Forces, MG Hamad bin Ali al-Attiyeh. Al-Attiyeh also hosted England and his party for dinner the evening of [...] |
2008-08-12 05:41:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL PGOV MOPS IR IQ QA |
| 08DOHA574 |
FORGING A FIELD INTERAGENCY CONSENSUS ON KEY [...] Political and Diplomatic Trends (Embassy ) P/E) 2. Military Trends and Expectations (a) Qatar's military (Embassy ) OMC) (b) U.S.-Qatar military relations (Embassy ) OMC) 3. CENTCOM,s Regional Observations (CENTCOM) 4. Counterterrorism Trends (Embassy ) RAO) 5. [...] |
2008-08-12 10:13:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PREL AMGT KSPR QA |
| 08DOHA578 |
ESTABLISHMENT OF QATARI INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN [...] (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 [...] |
2008-08-13 11:20:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | PINS PGOV EAID ASEC SOCI QA |
| 08DOHA581 |
AL-JAZEERA EXPLAINS LESSENED AL QAEDA COVERAGE [...] (C) During an August 12 office call by visiting Senate Foreign Relations Committee Staff Member Perry Cammack, Al-Jazeera Network (AJN) Managing Director Wadah Khanfar said the network still receives tapes from Al Qaeda but doesn't bother airing them or mentioning them because "Usama bin Laden [...] |
2008-08-14 05:32:00 | Embassy Doha | CONFIDENTIAL | |