Call for healing ‘Arab rifts’

Arab leaders opened their annual summit in Doha yesterday amid calls for healing inter-Arab rifts, rejecting the ICC arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, taking a joint stance on the Palestinian issue as well as an Arab action plan to deal with the global financial crisis.
HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, who presided over the meeting, called for setting up a “mechanism for managing differences among Arab states”.
“Our internal disputes urge us to reach at least a mechanism to manage our differences so that differences do not jeopardise closer relations,” the Emir said.
The Emir also welcomed the Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz who launched an initiative to bridge inter-Arab differences at the Arab economic summit held in Kuwait in January.
“We all have one goal which is the interest of our people and our nation and raising its status,” the Emir added.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who handed over the presidency of the Arab League to Qatar, opened the session with a speech calling for unity among Arab states.
He hit out at Israel, saying “there is no peace partner for Arabs in Israel”.
“Peace for the Israelis is only a tactical option which aims at covering their long-term goals based on not returning any of the rights they usurped from us,” he said.
The Syrian president lambasted the warrant issued against al-Bashir, as a “prelude to reintroducing colonialism in a more modernised form”.
Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa called for setting up a collective security system in the Middle East, which he said, should exclude Israel until it ratified the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and end the Arab Israeli conflict.
“About the Arab solidarity, he said Arab states should be able to manage their “differences” without allowing them to reach to the “clash and bickering stages”.
Bashir, who attended the summit defying the arrest warrant, defended his action and also urged support for the Palestinians as well as the reconciliation efforts in Somalia.
Al-Bashir also hit out at the UN Security Council, the body that mandated the ICC prosecutor to investigate the situation in Darfur.
Other Arab leaders also stressed the need for unity and closer relations among the Arab countries.
The meeting was attended also by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Jean Ping, chairperson of the commission of the African Union.

Original Article from: Gulf Times

Bashir blasts UN ‘double standards’

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir yesterday called for reforming the UN Security Council, describing it as an organisation that had a “selective undemocratic constitution”.
Speaking to the Arab leaders at the Doha Summit, Bashir said that the Security Council did not know that the standards applied for the cause of justice should be the same, “but double standards have been applied and the criminals were pardoned”.
“The lack of justice creates grudge and feeds extremism,” he said.
Bashir accused Israel of training the “separatists of Darfur”, supporting them with weapons, hosting them in hotels and financing them. “Our Sudanese people know that and wash their hands off them,” he said.
Bashir, who is facing an ICC arrest warrant, said that some of the officials in Darfur were taken to the court and were executed in accordance with the law and fair trials. “That caused the wrath of the so-called human rights organisations.”
On his decision to suspend the activities of 13 international relief organisations out of a total 118, he said that they were costing the country 70% of its administrative spending but they were carrying out only 4.5% of the total humanitarian activities in Sudan.
The Sudanese president accused them of working beyond their mandates, and having secret agreements with the ICC and giving the International Criminal Court “false reports”.

Original Article from: Gulf Times

Emir warns of another Iraq if Sudan sinks into chaos

HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani has warned that if anything happened to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Sudan ended up in chaos, the whole of Africa would also sink into chaos and that Al Qaeda would be happy to see Sudan become like Iraq.
In an interview with the German magazine Spiegel, the Emir noted that Qatar has been mediating in Sudan for a long time, particularly because the groups in Darfur do not want the Arab League to get involved.
The Emir stressed the need to give the parties time to let them voice their grievances, and finally discuss the future of their country.
Concerning the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s attendance to the Arab Summit, the Emir said: “I don’t think so this time, because some Arab countries do not want this. They are not realising that America is talking to Ahmadinejad. They took their action because America was against Iran. But they do not realise that a big change is happening in the US. It will take some time, but they will run to Tehran. I know this very well.”
To a question about the Arab and the Latin American summits, hosted by Doha, the Emir said: “We in the Middle East like to talk politics, we like to argue. Just look at the three prophets, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. They are all from this small region which creates problems all the time. So I think we will talk politics. But of course in the Arab countries this is leaders’ politics, since there are no elections that any leader will be tied to. Finding a link to Latin America will be an economic issue.”
Concerning the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s attendance, the Emir said: “Yes, my friend Hugo Chavez is coming.”
The Emir expressed the hope that the global economic crisis would end, saying: “When the Americans recover from their depression, the world will recover.”
He said the oil price should continue to stay in the $40 range for at least one or two more years, saying: “This way we can help the world out of this crisis. If the world economy recovers, it will be good for us, too. Automatically, the price of oil will go up again. I don’t see why Opec countries should continue to cut production just to keep the price of oil high. This will not affect the industrial countries alone; it will also hit poor countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Who will look after them?”
“This limits our ambitions. But I expected the price of oil to go down one day because we already suffered from this after 1973. When the oil price went up we became so rich. People bought a lot of things and they travelled every summer. Then the oil price went down and everything shrank. Since then, I have sought to avoid letting this happen again,” the Emir noted.
Answering a question about how the Gulf countries spent their wealth over the past years, the Emir said: “Up until now, we have spent most of this money domestically, on infrastructure, on factories, hospitals and universities. But two years ago we started to invest outside the country. With the current crisis, many countries prefer to keep their money instead of investing it abroad. For us, though, this is an opportunity that will not be repeated in the next 20 years. We have, for example, acquired 16% of shares in Barclays bank (in Britain) and 10% of Credit Suisse. We are going ahead.”
Concerning Qatar’s plans to invest in Germany, the Emir said: “Germany is a very important industrial country. We know that the Germans are hard workers; we know that they will fight for their economy. We also discussed Daimler. To invest in such companies is a first rate opportunity. Of course we are coming to invest in Germany. That is certain.”
The Emir noted German cars were used in most of the Gulf countries, saying: “German trucks are the most important in the world and they have been used heavily here in our region. For sure we will invest in the car manufacturers in Germany. But we will have to find the right time and the right price. We are also trying to bring high tech to our country, which we want to make a place of science and technology.”
“To invest in a carmaker is good because automobiles are not only sold in a small country, but rather all over the world. In fact, in the 1960s, our ruler Sheikh Ahmad was the first Gulf leader to visit Daimler. We were rich before oil because we exported pearls. Then the Japanese came with the artificial pearl and we became poor again. All things change, and this is often on my mind,” the Emir added.
About the interest in having German universities in the Education City, the Emir said: “They are welcome. But are they ready? The same question applies to the British: We have had relations with them for a long time, but they have only started to talk to us (about this issue) recently. I really don’t want you to think of Qatar as a hydrocarbon country alone. We know that hydrocarbons will come and go. But education will stay. It is the most important thing for us.”
Concerning his expectations on the global crisis, the Emir said: “China is coming, India is coming and Russia is on its way, too, although they are suffering because the price of oil has come down. China has almost 30mn jobless now. But I think they will recover. I don’t know if America and Europe will still be leading. The main thing now, though, is that they prevent the world economy from collapsing.”
About Qatar’s ability to supply Europe with gas if Russia fails to deliver, the Emir said: “We are selling gas to Italy, Spain, Belgium and, starting within the next few weeks, to Britain. I know that the Germans prefer to have their own gas supply, but I think our gas could come to Germany through another European country. However, this depends on the quantities we have on hand and the price.”
“With Opec they have a cartel. Why don’t we have this gas cartel as well? And why don’t we make a sort of agreement between consumers and producers? I wouldn’t mind such a gas cartel, but it will take time because some countries today sell for high prices and others sell for low prices. It will be hard for those selling high to bring their prices down. So we will need time.”

Original Article from: Gulf Times

Please Don't

Don't

Look or stare at people closely no matter how fascinating their dress. This general courtesy is particularly important in a society where modesty of dress and behavior is mandatory.

Ask an Arabic lady for information or direction in a public place if you are a man. Arabic ladies will be more willing to help other females and if you are a family let your wife do the talking.

Be offended if your hand shake is refused by a Muslim. Hand shake are most often refused to member of the opposite sex. It is not meant personally, but simply a religious prohibition applicable to other Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Take a photograph without permission of either people (including the police or armed forces) or sensitive sites. Arabic women and many older people strongly object to being photographed.

Be annoyed if your guest /contact is late. Just remember, time is more elastic in Qatar.

Use your left hand for contact with other people or eating. Following Muslim conventions the right hand is considered more propitious and the left hand reserved for bodily functions.

Sit with the soles of your shoes or feet pointing to your Qatari hosts; it is considered insulting. Equally, don't sit with your back to the other guest.

Drink to much that your behavior is affected in public. Alcohol in Qatar is strictly regulated concession and there is zero tolerance for drink-driving and rowdy behavior.

Go barefoot in the sea, where stone fish (who look alike stone) lie along the shoreline. Although rare, their poisonous defense mechanism causes excruciating pain and needs a hospital visit.

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Use greeting and formalities as they are particularly important when dealing with Arabs. It is considered impolite to start any conversation or request without at least saying "Good Morning" or "Good Afternoon".

Dress modesty in Qatar, which is a Muslim country with conservative dress codes. Trousers are acceptable for women, but avoid shorts, strappy low-cut tops, see through and transparent clothes.

Hail Mowasalat turquoise taxis, which are safe, clean and metered. The majority of the driver speaks English.

Bargain with shopkeepers which is the norm here in the souqs, so let go of your inhibitions and allow yourself some extra time for a good barter. Always counter the original offer with a lower price than you expect to pay and work slowly upwards to what you wish to spend.

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Enjoy Qatar at night as it is one of the safest places in the world during the hot summer and during Ramadan you will see people around town well into the early morning.

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