Insight: Smooth Qatar handover rooted in turbulent past of 'Father Emir'

Insight: Smooth Qatar handover rooted in turbulent past of 'Father Emir' Wed, Jul 03 06:13 AM EDT 2 of 2 By William Maclean DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar's outgoing emir wanted to abdicate while he was still able to help his 33-year-old heir consolidate his authority, so ensuring minimal discord inside a family with a long record of palace intrigue. While no one other than outgoing emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani can know his full motivations, foremost among them appears to have been a need for stability in a dynasty that has ruled for more than 130 years. That is the picture of last week's abdication that emerges from diplomats and others familiar with a country that during his rule rose from obscurity and relative poverty to global prominence in finance, diplomacy, sport and media. Under the long planned handover, rare in a region where rulers usually die in office, Sheikh Hamad, 61, stepped down following 18 years in office and made way for his son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. Sheikh Hamad, a forceful, independent-minded personality who now takes the title "Father Emir", explained in an abdication speech that he wanted a new generation "with their innovative ideas and active energies" to take over. Left unspoken were other, related priorities. The outgoing ruler has had kidney problems, and while the condition was not the reason for his decision, diplomats said, his continued ability to master Qatar's complex dynastic politics will have been a factor in his thinking. VOLATILE HISTORY Hamad's need for a smooth succession appears to have been shaped by an awareness of volatile al-Thani family history: He himself took power in a coup, as did the man - his own father - that he ousted. As a result, Sheikh Hamad will have wanted to arrange matters so that he has maximum time to steer his son's early months in office and help him deepen his own power base. Shibley Telhami, a Middle East expert at the University of Maryland said his abdication, carried out at a time when Qatar was "thriving, moves the country into the hands of a new generation with minimal dissent, while giving his son a golden chance to bolster his own legitimacy and credentials." Jane Kinninmont, a Gulf Arab expert at Britain's Chatham House think tank, said: "In a country with no tradition of smooth successions, leaving now allows the father to help oversee his son's succession, and help him build up his support base within the ruling family." "Emir Hamad left on a high note ... He clearly has a sense of history and drama." Sheikh Hamad's earlier experience of power was turbulent and marked by continual tensions over control of state finances. He became effective ruler in 1992 when his father, Sheikh Khalifa, allowed him to appoint a cabinet of his own choice and left him to run Qatar's day-to-day affairs, although his father kept ultimate power by retaining financial control. But they fell out in early 1995 when Sheikh Khalifa apparently tried unsuccessfully to claw back some of his previous authority and to resume control of the economy. Later that year Sheikh Hamad ousted his father in a bloodless coup. In early 1996 he survived a coup attempt that analysts attributed to his father, who had come to power in a similar palace takeover in 1972 when he ousted his cousin. POTENTIAL RIVAL Fears of a possible repeat of the 1996 attempt continued to overshadow the country for several more years. The former emir's priority now appears to be to help Sheikh Tamim stamp his own mark on the state unbeholden to any powerful personality such as his own key lieutenant, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim, Qatar's top diplomat. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim lost his jobs as prime minister and foreign minister in Sheikh Tamim's first cabinet reshuffle, in what some diplomats saw as a long-planned step by the "Father Emir" to remove a potential rival to the young emir's authority. Analysts familiar with the country said the outgoing emir wanted his son to have something he had never enjoyed - the experience of wielding office without the handicap of feeling obligated to others. In his own case, Sheikh Hamad had placed considerable reliance on Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, the then foreign minister who helped his 1995 takeover by building support for the move amongst major Qatari families and contacts. "HBJ", as he is known, went on to turn the country's gas export earnings into investment holdings with global clout, an achievement that provided the emir with the economic muscle to back his activist regional diplomacy. NEW EMIR HAS NO POLITICAL DEBTS "Tamim starts without being in debt to anyone," said Saad Djebbar, an Algerian lawyer who knows Qatar well. "Hbj (Hamad bin Jassim) was very good at business. He was kept busy. He knew how to deliver a deal. His strength was that he knew everyone and had a network. He provided money at a time when the emir didn't have much," he said. "Now, the new emir comes without any baggage. And he has plenty of money. He has no constraints. The old emir will still have a vision and power. He will stand behind the (new) emir. And he believes that the vision will guide his son." Hamad Bin Jassim was dropped from both his ministerial positions, and late on Tuesday evening he also lost his post as vice-chairman of the Qatar Investment Authority, according to an official announcement. His departure from the cabinet has stirred speculation that recent setbacks by Syrian rebels armed by Qatar were the real reason for the abdication. Rebels backed by Qatar and other Gulf Arab states have suffered reversals on the battlefield at the hands of President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Qatar's policy of arming Syrian rebels is viewed with unease by some other Gulf Arab states. But the abdication was planned at least two years ago, if not even earlier, people who know Qatar well say. (Additional reporting by Regan Doherty and Amena Bakr; editing by Janet McBride) ================== Former Qatari PM replaced as head of powerful sovereign wealth fund Reuters Jul 4, 2013 Save this article . -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DOHA // Qatar's former prime minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, has been replaced as deputy head of the country's powerful sovereign wealth fund in a restructuring move ordered by the country's new emir, the state news agency reported. Related In pictures: Meet the next ruler of Qatar Qatar's cabinet shuffle puts focus on regional relations ■ Qatar's new emir Sheikh Tamim sets out the way forward Topic Qatar Ahmad Al Sayed has been appointed chief executive of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the gas-rich nation's sovereign wealth fund, Qatar News Agency said on Tuesday, citing a royal decree. Sayed was previously chief executive at Qatar Holding, the fund's investment arm. Qatar's new emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, will chair the fund. Qatar's new Finance Minister Ali Sherif Al Emadi and new Economy and Trade Minister Ahmed Bin Jassim Bin Mohamed Al Thani were named to the new administrative council, it said. Sayed was general counsel at the QIA before heading Qatar Holding. In his late thirties, he is viewed as a hard negotiator on deals and has been the primary point man for top bankers and fund managers pitching investment ideas to the sovereign fund, widely seen as one of the world's most aggressive investors. His elevation to the top role of the sovereign wealth fund is an indication that the new Emir is keen to hand over responsibilities to the young generation in the Gulf state. Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani was widely thought to have stayed on as chief executive role at the fund. He was also the chairman of Qatar Holding. "When the new Emir took over there was a lot of talk in Qatar about how talented youngsters will be placed in key positions. This is a big example of that," one Dubai-based banking source said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to business ties with the sovereign fund. "I don't see much change to its opportunistic strategy under Al Sayed. These are savvy deal makers and they now have the experience of having worked on large deals." Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/business/economy/former-qatari-pm-replaced-as-head-of-powerful-sovereign-wealth-fund#ixzz2Y2mVK4Op Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook =============================

Oil-rich Qatar pushing to make its name as a Mideast peace broker

By Ron Kampeas · May 7, 2013 Photos 1 out of 1 Other Media Secretary of State John Kerry, right, delivering a Joint Statement with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al-Thani in Washington, April 29, 2013. (U.S. State Department) WASHINGTON (JTA) -- When it comes to the latest Arab peace initiative, two questions are circulating in Washington: Why Qatar? And why now? The three answers: Because Qatar is rich; it is scared; and why not? Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani, the Qatari prime minister and foreign minister, in recent weeks has driven the revivification of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, moderating it slightly to hew closer to the outlines touted by the Obama administration since 2011. The updated version, outlined by Hamad in remarks to reporters following his meeting April 29 with Secretary of State John Kerry and Vice President Joe Biden in Washington, pulls back from the 2002 demand that Israel withdraw to the 1967 borders in exchange for comprehensive peace. Instead, Hamid proposed “comparable and mutual agreed minor swaps of the land” -- a formulation that opens the door to Israel's retention of several major settlement blocs. Hamad also did not mention the Palestinian “right of return” and the division of Jerusalem, elements of the original Arab initiative that had led to its rejection by the Israeli government. Qatar, the fabulously wealthy Persian Gulf state that is host to the forward headquarters of the U.S. Central Command, hasn't been known until recently for grabbing onto thorny diplomatic challenges. So what does Hamad hope to gain? The Qatari Embassy did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but experts and officials say that Qatar is wealthy enough to do what it likes and, as an autocracy concerned for its survival in a region roiling with revolution, is driven to make friends and demonstrate its usefulness. “For a small country, they’re throwing money around, organizing diplomatic events, trying to shape a range of issues, much of it related to the Middle East uprising,” said Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a think tank considered close to the Obama administration. “It's rich, it's small, it lacks the inner turmoil of other countries. It’s one of the [Middle Eastern] countries ... that are more internally stable and have more resources.” Just prior to unveiling the revised peace plan, Hamad, a distant cousin of the Qatari emir, was honored by the Brookings Institution’s Saban Center for Middle East Policy, an organization that received $2.5 million to $5 million from the government of Qatar in 2012, according to Politico. Tamara Cofman Wittes, the Saban Center’s director, said Qatar for years had accrued influence through such uses of “soft power” -- the generous dispensation of money and assistance -- coupled with its ownership of Al Jazeera, the region’s most influential news outlet. When uprisings swept the Middle East at the beginning of 2011, Qatar was able to step into a vacuum left by the toppled dictators, she said. “It vaulted Qatar into a much more prominent role in regional politics because of the loss of [Egyptian President Hosni] Mubarak,” Wittes told JTA. “Its regional assistance and Al Jazeera have allowed it to play a larger role in how the awakening is viewed.” Backing winners, whether the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt or the forces that helped topple Moammar Gadhafi in Libya, also lends credibility -- and insurance -- to a regime that is itself autocratic, Katulis said. “If they win as many as friends as possible, get in early on the ground floor, they'll be all the more influential,” he said. A State Department official played down Qatar's role in reviving the Arab peace bid, noting that the new plan formally emerged from the Arab League. And yet he emphasized that the Obama administration is focused mainly on returning the Israelis and Palestinians to the negotiating table and hopes the peace initiative can help them get there. “It's a sign that the Arab League is a constructive member in the process,” the official said. “The regional partners have a role, but our major focus is getting the Palestinians and Israelis back to the table for direct talks.” So far, that doesn't seem to be happening. Israel is less than thrilled about the new initiative. An Israeli official confirmed that Netanyahu remains as unenthusiastic about the 1967 lines as a basis for negotiations as he was in 2011, when President Obama’s proposal based on those lines precipitated a small crisis in U.S.-Israel relations. Israelis are also skeptical of Qatar because of its support for Hamas, the terrorist group controlling the Gaza Strip. The country’s emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, became the first foreign leader to visit the strip last October. “On the diplomatic front, Qatar publicly claims to support Israeli-Palestinian peace while making certain to undermine it in every possible way,” Seth Mandel wrote last week in Commentary, the neoconservative journal. But Wittes said Qatar’s relationship with Hamas could be seen as a benefit. Hamas is a mainstay of Palestinian politics, and Qatar could help influence the group to moderate. “If obstruction of peace was Hamas’s role as spoiler,” she said, “you have to look at the potential for Qatar as a positive influence.” Need to know? Click here to sign up for JTA's free e-newsletters. ========= QATAR * Qatar cuts April Marine OSP by $4 to $102.50/bbl * Qatar Airways in talks with Airbus to buy up to 15 jets * Dreamliner grounding cost Qatar Airways $200 mln in revenue - CEO ========== Bomb hits convoy carrying Qataris in Somalia, eight dead Sun, May 05 09:49 AM EDT 1 of 2 By Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden car into a convoy carrying Qatari officials through the center of Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Sunday, killing at least eight Somalis, officials said. The visiting delegation of Qataris, who were traveling in the Somali interior minister's bullet-proof vehicle, were "safe", a security officer told Reuters, without going into further detail. The minister was not in the car at the time. The Islamist rebel group al Shabaab said it was behind the attack and threatened further strikes against Somalia's government, which it called a "puppet" of Western powers. "More explosions are on the way," al Shabaab's military spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab told Reuters by telephone. The al Qaeda-linked rebels, who want to impose their version of Islamic law or sharia on the country, have kept up a campaign of guerrilla-style attacks since African peacekeepers pushed them out of bases in the city and other major towns. Western powers, long worried Somalia is a launch pad for militant Islam in east Africa and beyond, fear it could slide back into chaos if security forces cannot cement security gains. The blast tore through the busy 'Kilometre 4' road junction in the center of Mogadishu's commercial and administrative district, hurling metal debris over a wide area. Nearby buildings were blackened and power cables hung loose from poles. It was not clear in the confusion that followed the blast how many people had been killed. A coordinator for Mogadishu's emergency services said ambulances had carried away the 15 bodies. Earlier, the chairman of the city's Hodan district, where the attack took place, told reporters at the blast site eight people had died. "A silver 4x4 sped around the roundabout blaring its horn as it chased the convoy," college student Abdullahi Ismail told Reuters at the scene, nursing a gash in his forehead. "It hit the last car in the convoy." LONDON CONFERENCE Qatar has been forging closer political ties with Somalia in recent years as it seeks to expand its influence in the Horn of Africa region. Sunday's bomb was a stark reminder of two decades of civil strife in a country where the central government depends heavily on a near 18,000-strong African peacekeeping force for its survival. While there has been a significant improvement in the coastal capital since African Union troops drove the Islamist al Shabaab group out of the city in 2011, the attack showed the relative ease with which the militants can still strike. Parts of Mogadishu were in lock-down last week after security officials received a tip-off about an imminent attack, but security was relaxed on Saturday. The 'Kilometre 4' intersection connects the city's fortified airport, where the United Kingdom opened an embassy on April 25, with the presidential palace, parliament and other ministries. The state of Somalia's security forces will top the agenda at conference in London on May 7. Britain and Somalia are hoping to use the event to drum up more international support at a time when al Shabaab are weakened as a fighting force but can still inflict devastating strikes. Civil war after the fall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 left Somalia without effective central government and awash with weapons. The turmoil opened the doors for piracy to flourish in the Gulf of Aden and deeper into the Indian Ocean. (Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Andrew Heavens) =====================