Doha: The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud presided over the weekly Cabinet meeting at the Emiri Diwan yesterday.
Following the Cabinet meeting, Al Mahmoud stated the following: At the outset of the meeting the Cabinet was briefed on talks the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held with the Custodian of the Two Holly Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and the Emir of Kuwait H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah.
The Cabinet affirmed that the meetings served to deepen GCC fraternal bonds, expand cooperation in various fields and support joint action for the benefit of the GCC people and Arab and Islamic causes.
The session also welcomed the outcomes of the recent Third Arab-Africa Summit in Kuwait, attended by the Emir.
The Cabinet said decisions and recommendations adopted by the summit, stances in the Kuwait Declaration and the statement on Palestine are a boost to Afro-Arab cooperation and would pave the way for a new phase of strategic partnership, particularly in the areas of development and investment, to serve interests of Arab and African people, and maintain regional and global security, peace and stability.
Then the Cabinet approved its draft decision to establish a committee for Qatar Flight Information Region (Qatar FIR). The panel will be set up at the Ministry of Transport, chaired by a ministry representative, with officials from concerned authorities as members to create Qatar FIR.
The Cabinet was briefed on the report of a study on utilising government school and public facilities as emergency shelters in conformity with the population in each region of the state. The report highlighted the need to develop Qatar’s capabilities to cope with emergency and special circumstances.
The session also approved the creation of a technical committee of specialists from concerned authorities to prepare a practical integrated contingency plan which will be periodically updated.
It endorsed a recommendation of the standing committee on the Convention on the Law of the Sea with regard to adopting marine maps to determine the low water line along the Qatari coast to measure official borders of marine areas under its jurisdiction.
It also endorsed a proposal of the Finance Ministry to increase Qatar’s contribution to the capital of Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation, Arab Monetary Fund, Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development.
It approved the application of Law No. 24 of 2002 on retirement and pension for Qatari employees in subsidiaries of United Development Company ‘Qatari shareholding company’ and Qatar jet fuel company (Q-Jet).
It also approved the third draft implementation programme of a cooperation agreement in the fields of education and scientific research between Qatar and Egypt for the school years 2013 to 2016.
The Cabinet took measures to ratify an agreement on diplomatic cooperation between Qatar and France. It reviewed a letter by the Minister of Development Planning and Statistics on the Cairo Declaration issued at the Regional Conference on Population and Development in the Arab countries, and took appropriate decision. QNA
