Global Slick

  The President of the United Arab Emirates , HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the Amir of Qatar, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, had a major phone conversation recently. The main topics of conversation were how to improve the two nations' fraternal connections and how to find ways to make them even stronger. The leaders discussed current regional and global developments in addition to bilateral issues. Both stressed how critical it is to stop conflicts from spreading farther afield and to lower the level of escalation in the area. The necessity of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and other occupied Palestinian territories was specifically emphasized by them. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to working together to achieve a long-term, comprehensive solution to the Palestinian problem. They highlighted the need for regional security and collaboration and the relevance of bringing about a comprehensive and long-lasting peace in the area. 

Personal agendas might be reigning supreme in case of Qatar that has agreed to reduce the price of LNG supply Pakistan and could not adhere to an Indian request for the same.  When India recently requested Qatar to reduce the prices of LNG that it has been exporting to India over two long term contracts, Doha said it could not do so because it was keener to respect the sanctity of the contracts between the two countries. India had signed two long term contracts with Qatar 1999 for supply to start in 2004. Qatar meets more than 60 percent of India’s LNG needs and the rest being divided amongst its other partner like Germany, US, Australia and Russia. Prices were renegotiated only in 2015, leading to about a 50% cut in prices for India, which agreed to buy an extra 1 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of the super-cooled gas from Qatar. Now, Doha does not want to lower its prices and said it was happy to supply more to meet India’s increasing gas needs. On the flip side, Pak...

Qatar's charitable foundations were suspected of supporting terrorism.   The list of “suspicious” organizations included Sheikh Ida Al Thani's charitable organization, which has been operating since 1995, as well as one of the five largest charitable foundations in the world, Sheikh Tani bin Abdallah's Humanitarian Services Organization (RAF).   The authorities of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt published a single list of 59 individuals and 12 legal entities suspected of involvement in terrorist activities.   Among these organizations were indicated charitable foundations.   A joint statement by the Arab countries states that Qatar’s actions in violation of its obligations include supporting and harboring elements and organizations that threaten the national security of other states.   Doha on this basis was accused of conducting a two-faced policy.   The Sheikh Ibn Abdullah Thani Foundation for Humanitarian Services  ( مؤسسةا...

Turkey will help Qatar ensure security during the World Cup in 2022.   The relevant provisions are contained in a bilateral protocol signed several months ago.   Most importantly, the document will continue to operate after a large-scale sporting event.   This gives reason to talk about the expansion of the Turkish presence in the emirate. The text of the protocol signed between the Qatari and Turkish leaders suggests that countries will develop bilateral security cooperation, especially in the framework of world-wide events.   According to official statements, the agreement aims to strengthen strategic partnership on the eve of World Cup 2022.   The protocol, which is called the “Letter of Intention to cooperate in the implementation of mega-events,” was signed by Turkish Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs MukhteremInche and the Qatari Brigadier General Ibrahim Khalil al-Mohannadi, who heads the Security Committee of the Supreme Committee for Supply and...

The Sudanese politicians look suspiciously to the Qatari help, because of the background of the suspected role of Doha in supporting political Islam groups and fanning the Sudanese crisis by supervising the strengthening of the influence of parties affiliated with the Sudanese Brotherhood. Qatar is searching for an outlet that will allow it to return to the Sudanese square after a previous tension with the Transitional Military Council, which led to a period of transition that ended with a dialogue with the opposition representing the popular movement and the (dialogue) finally led to an agreement on power sharing that resulted in the formation of a government and a sovereign council to manage the country for two years followed by Presidential elections. Relations between Khartoum and Doha were strained following a Qatari move to rearrange the Sudan Brotherhood’s house by supervising intensive meetings to unify Sudanese parties with Brotherhood backgrounds to reproduce the ...

The recent findings exposed how Qatar's ambassador to the Republic of Nepal Sheikh Yousif Bin Mohamed Al-Hail was looting many Nepali immigrants through a recruitment agency. Victims of the recruitment scandalrevealed that Qatar ambassador employed Nepalese nationals through “Sky Overseas Services”, a recruitment company in Nepal. Al-Hail, duped Nepalese migrant workers as he offered each worker applying through the employment agency, a monthly salary of 400 USD. Hundreds of migrant workers in Qatar went on strike this week to protest what they say are poor working conditions, unpaid and delayed wages, and threats of reduced wages, Human Rights Watch said today. Despite introducing some labor reforms over the past year, Qatari authorities have failed to abolish the exploitative kafala sponsorship labor system that fuels abuses and grants employers excessive power over their employees. Migrant workers are still banned under Qatari law f...

BAGHDAD, 6th January 2019 - Qasem Soleimani, Iranian Major general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and his Deputy General, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, have been killed by an unmanned MQ-9 ‘hunter-killer’ drone sent from the US Central Command headquarters in Qatar. The Daily Mail, citing Local militia commander Abu Muntather al-Hussaini, says that two missiles hit the car carrying Soleimani, 62, and al-Muhandis, 66. The second car was struck by a single missile at the Baghdad International airport. An engineer was also among those killed. According to the Daily Mail, the 230mph drone, piloted by a two-man crew hundreds of miles away, can carry out precision strikes and relay images of the attack to commanders anywhere in the world. The $64million Reaper carries four laser-guided Hellfire missiles with 38lb warheads capable of destroying a tank, along with Paveway bombs. It seems clear that the Americans have used the Qatari land to operates the killing of Soleimani. ...

As Nepal is poised to sign a deal with Malaysia to ensure cost-free recruitment of workers, Qatar has expressed its interest in hiring Nepalis without charging them any money in the process. In Qatar, migrant workers represent about 90 per cent of its resident population, and Nepalis represent a significant number of its migrant workforce. As Nepal is poised to sign a deal with Malaysia to ensure cost-free recruitment of workers, Qatar has expressed its interest in hiring Nepalis without charging them any money in the process. Qatar, which hosts hundreds of thousand Nepalis, has proposed a ‘zero cost’ modality for employing migrant workers in the country. The developments come as another relief for Nepali workers who face a number of hassles before departing for the job destination and while working in a foreign country. Malaysia is due to sign a labour agreement with Nepal this week, sparing workers the huge expenses that they are currentl...