Qatar hosts Mediterranean Dialogue Symposium

Qatarinfo:27-11-2005

The First Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani opened the 11th Mediterranean Dialogue Symposium titled ‘Nato and the Greater Middle East and role of parliamentarians’ at the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha on Saturday 26 November 2005.  

In his inaugural address to the opening ceremony, H.E. the First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabor Al Thani welcomed the participants in this significant symposium, which aims at promoting dialogue and views-sharing among parliamentarians on key matters pertaining to regional security.

H.E. the First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister hailed the positive and praise-worthy efforts being exerted by parliamentarians to mobilize the broader Middle East build-up process, as visualized by the Nato parliamentary group. “Such favorable endeavors should be viewed with due appreciation, because they, undoubtedly, help the underway democracy-building orientations in the region, as visualized by the Nato parliamentary group”, H.E. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Bin Jabor Al Thani said

H.E. the First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister reaffirmed that the state of Qatar was still actively engaged in the future-oriented process it has embarked along and was still endeavoring to complete the build up of the modern institutionalized states on the basis of the constitution and the rule of law to guarantee civil rights and to define the privileges and the obligations of citizenship in a society based on modernization, reform and development.

H.E. Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani noted that “This policy, pursued by the highest level of the state in running internal affairs, has been a home-grown output visualized by H.H. the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani since he assumed authority in 1995. This was years before any initiative to promote reform and democratization in the region was launched”.

H.E. the First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister said “The state of Qatar has taken long strides along the path of democratization and has gone a long way in broadening the scope of people’s participation in running the country’s affairs by contributing to decision-making and to the building up of constitutional institutions”.

H.E. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Bin Jabor Al Thani asserted that “At present, preparations are under way to hold the first-ever parliamentary elections in the history of the state; the elections are to be held as per the new constitution issued on June 8. 2004, after being endorsed by the people in a high majority yes vote in April 2003 referendum.”

“The constitution has guaranteed civil liberties and basic freedoms, set in place the guidelines governing the relationship between the ruled and the rulers, as per the rule of law, and endorsed the principles of good governance, including accountability and transparency”, H.E. the First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister said, stressing that the forthcoming elections would be fair and free and that Qatari women would be accessed to full suffrage rights, as per the constitution which guaranteed gender equality. Within this framework and as per the constitution, the Advisory (Shura) Council represents the legislative authority and from the constitutional point of view it stands for the country’s parliament, he pointed out.

H.E. the First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister expressed confidence that dialogue-based parliamentary cooperation would surely enrich Qatar’s fledgling constitutional experience, as it would familiarize the Nato parliamentary group with the specific traditions, culture, and characteristics featuring the Qatari society and governing our exercise of democracy. Such an experience would surely help in removing potential obstacles and would surely create better atmospheres of cooperation and understanding to serve the common interests of all parties in peaceful co-existences, security, stability and development, H.E. the First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister said.

For his part H.E. Mohamed bin Mubarak Al kholifi, the speaker of Qatar Advisory Council underlined that the peace would not be realized unless all nations could obtain their liberty and could exercise their democratic rights and the world community would become satisfied that the people be free and enjoy all their rights as provided by the international law, Al Kholifi noted. The governments should have shouldered its responsibility with transparency, freedom of speech, rule of law, freedom of both sexes, and that all countries and nations have all their rights of equality and justice within international community, Al Kholifi said.

The security in gulf region is the responsibility of each country, Al Kholifi said, adding that since there are other parties having joint borders, the security arrangements between gulf countries and super powers have become an important issue for achieving stability, security, and peace. And to protect this vital area of the world from being exposed to external circumstances which could be out of control and dangerous to social, economical and cultural gains, we would seek superpowers cooperation, Al Kholfi said.

Al Kholifi stressed that the target of is to protect the international community particularly this area-from terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, nuclear terrorism, regional and international disputes. The state of Qatar always welcomes the dialogue and exchange of views, Al Kholifi said highlighting the establishment of his highness the Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of a wise policy that conferences and meetings would help spread free, open, constructive thinking as well as dialogue would lead to human development, security, peace, democracy and justice. This enables the nations and the humankind to get their rights in atmosphere of understanding, accepting the others within international collective work, Al Kholifi said.

Our country has acquired international reputation in fields of humanitarian, developmental and political work due to its commitments to rules of law, justice and its efforts to realize the dream of the humanity, the speaker of the Qatari advisory council concluded.