This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000524 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ARPI SHAWN THORNE 
ABU DHABI FOR MEPI OFFICE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM ECON PTER IZ IR QA
SUBJECT: FOREIGN MINISTER ON DEMOCRACY, TERRORISM, IRAN 
 
REF: A. 05 Doha 1907 
     ¶B. Doha 480 
 
¶1. 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 early 2007. An 
election law will be finalized before the summer. He was critical 
of the United States and the west generally for imposing their 
system of democracy in the Middle East. He said the results of 
doing so in Iraq are not positive. End Summary. 
 
¶2. In his speech, HBJ said that democracies in the region should 
match the local culture and that good governance, transparency, 
and the rule of law are all components of democracy. He added 
that "no one is above the law" in Qatar. He said that the 
"culture of democratization" represents a crucial task for all 
Qataris. The speech was not particularly noteworthy, but HBJ 
touched on a number of interesting topics in the question and 
answer period, which lasted for more than one hour. 
 
Qatar's Legislative Elections 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3. HBJ said that elections will take place in early 2007. (Note. 
He has made this point publicly before.) An elections law will be 
issued before summer 2006; the law will clarify technical aspects 
of the elections. He said that only Qataris born in the state 
prior to 1932 [sic] will be eligible to be candidates, but that 
everyone else with a Qatari passport "is a Qatari" and possess 
the rights outlined in the constitution. The Amir and the Heir 
Apparent are concerned about the political rights of naturalized 
citizens and those of Qataris who moved to the country after the 
date that provided full rights; HBJ said issuing a new law to 
expand their rights was not within his area of responsibility; it 
could happen in "one year or ten." Note: "Original Qataris" are 
defined in the Nationality Law of 2005 as those living in the 
country as of 1930. End Note.) Qatar's elections will be based on 
30 electoral districts rather than a single national 
constituency, as some had proposed. HBJ said this was to take 
into consideration Qatar's tribal and family groups. The 
constituency system is the most suitable one, he said, because it 
allows for fair representation for citizens living outside the 
capital. 
 
Local Governance 
---------------- 
 
¶4. A female professor at Qatar University complained about the 
lack of opportunities for well-qualified women and said company 
boards, the university's steering committee, and other 
organizations were locked up by favorites who served on multiple 
boards. HBJ joked with her that she should have made better 
contacts during her career and that she was fortunate to be able 
to make such criticisms openly with no danger of reprisal. He 
added that board members are subject to removal "at any time" for 
poor performance. 
 
 
West and Democracy 
------------------ 
 
¶5. HBJ appeared relaxed as he engaged the press and other members 
of the audience. He said that the U.S. and the west want to 
"impose" its version of democracy on the region and that this was 
the wrong approach. The conditions in the Middle East are 
different, he said; change should come from within. This has 
happened in Qatar, which began the path toward democracy well 
before 9/11. HBJ said conflict is the result of imposing beliefs 
on others. "The Americans came to impose democracy in Iraq. I 
don't think what we see is positive," he commented. 
 
Conflict, but Not of Civilizations 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶6. HBJ said that after the cold war, two civilizations emerged -- 
one global and another Islamic. But conflict in the region is 
based not on these differences but on energy and economics. That 
is why we have not seen international powers involved in Somalia 
in the same way. We own a very important commodity, he said: 
Energy. It is Qatar's, but at the same time, consumers have their 
rights as well as responsibilities with respect to the resource. 
 
Terrorism 
--------- 
 
¶7. The Foreign Minister reacted to recent statements by Secretary 
Rice that political conditions in the region have bred terrorism. 
Arab leaders and the U.S. were both responsible for misleading 
the Arab people by encouraging them to fight in Afghanistan under 
the banner of Islam, he said. Arab governments should have 
consulted closely with the U.S. before signing on to that policy. 
 
Iran 
---- 
 
¶8. Qatar, as a neighbor of Iran and a UN Security Council member, 
would like to resolve the crisis over Iran's nuclear program 
diplomatically. The IAEA operates with a technical mandate; the 
UNSC performs the political work; and Qatar's strategy was to 
help "bring points of view closer" to reach a peaceful solution. 
 
Minister of Economy 
------------------- 
 
¶9. HBJ said that the dismissal of the Minister of Economy and 
Commerce (ref B) was "not the first nor the last" such action and 
should not be considered unusual. It was not related to the 
performance of the stock market. The minister blamed the recent 
drop in share prices on "small investors" who lack a clear 
vision. He said prices doubled over the year in the first quarter 
of 2006 and trusts the Doha market to deliver excellent 
performance by the end of the year. 
 
Sunni and Shia 
-------------- 
 
¶10. A Qatari woman asked about the status of the Qatari-Saudi 
relations, noting that Qatar and Saudi are the wings of Wahabism. 
"I don't want to see our young men go to Baghdad to fight 
Shiism," she said. HBJ replied that relations with Saudi Arabia 
are based on respect and that the wisdom of the leaders of the 
two countries will lead to a more relaxed relationship. He said 
that thankfully, Qatar does not face a Sunni-Shia'a rift because 
of the strong social fabric of the society. He noted that in 
Qatar no one can tell who is a Sunni or who a shia'a and that 
Shia'a Qataris work in important positions in the government and 
in business. Note: It appeared that HBJ was indirectly 
criticizing Saudi Arabia for its treatment of Shia'as in the 
Kingdom's eastern provinces. 
NANTONGO