US embassy cable - 05DOHA1039

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 001039 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR NEA/ARPI THORNE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, QA 
SUBJECT: DISCUSSION WITH QATARI OPPOSITION FIGURES 
 
 
1. (SBU) P/E Section hosted a small group of Qatari 
oppositionists for lunch on May 26. The guests conveyed the view 
that economic and political power are overwhelmingly in the hands 
of the state and that democratic ideas had not yet taken root in 
the overall population. There was some criticism of social 
conformism in Qatar. They argued that the rule of law had 
regressed, despite appearances otherwise. Guests were: Khalid Al- 
Khater, an engineer and former public works official forced into 
early retirement; his son Abdulaziz Al-Khater, educated in 
western schools and a banker in Doha; Najeeb Al-Naimi, former 
minister of justice and now a human rights lawyer; and Obaid Al- 
Merri, a businessman and member of the Al-Murra tribe, many of 
whose members have been stripped of their Qatari nationality. 
 
2. (SBU) Qatar does not have a formal opposition. In fact, 
political parties are not legal and there are no organized or 
informal groups that criticize or oppose the government. Post's 
lunch guests are not part of any larger structure. These 
individuals were invited because they are willing to speak openly 
with emboffs about their views; most Qataris understand that 
criticizing the government brings the risk of losing benefits and 
preferences for themselves and their families, such as housing 
and education. Our guests requested that the lunch be held in a 
residence rather than a public restaurant in order to avoid the 
possibility of eavesdropping. 
 
3. (SBU) Discussion touched on various different issues current 
in Qatar such as democracy, the new constitution (which came into 
force on June 9), the upcoming election for the National 
Assembly, participation of women in the democratic process, the 
stock market frenzy, and government monopolies. 
 
4. (SBU) There was consensus on many of the issues. The group 
shared a view of democratic reform in Qatar as artificial and not 
rooted in the people. Rather, they see it as serving the purpose 
of enhancing the government's image in the international 
community. They do not believe the government is serious about 
addressing the issue of human rights in the country. The former 
minister of justice pointed out that some newly-issued laws 
bestow rights on one hand and take them away with the other. 
There is no role at present for civil society or associations. 
Discussing the new law on private associations, the group 
complained that the ability to form such societies is restricted 
by numerous requirements and fees, and that societies' activities 
are restricted -- for example, they may not engage in political 
issues. 
 
5. (SBU) The elder al-Khater mentioned that due to a weak private 
sector, the majority of Qatari citizens work for the government. 
This puts a burden on the government to create employment, 
instead of developing the private sector and generating new 
opportunities. The result is that many experienced and qualified 
employees are forced into early retirement in order to create 
vacancies for the next wave of graduates. This situation has 
caused a serious loss of expertise, according to al-Khater. 
 
6. (SBU) Al-Khater also mentioned that the government imposes 
"indirect taxes" through regular price increases. He said most of 
the companies owned by the government regularly raise the prices 
of their products and services. This means that the residents are 
paying "taxes," but in a different manner. He cited Q-Tel as an 
example of this practice. He also criticized the Doha Securities 
Market (DSM), which is dominated by public-sector companies. 
Although these are publicly-traded entities, shareholders are not 
represented on the boards of directors. Rather, the government 
appoints the board members. In sum, al-Khater was concerned that 
the rights of shareholders are not protected. 
 
7. (SBU) Najeeb al-Naimi criticized the new constitution and the 
fact that there can be no changes to it for ten years. He also 
disapproved of the provision giving the Amir autonomy regarding 
the disposition of the state's finances. He quoted an article in 
the constitution which allows the Amir to withdraw any sum of 
money from the treasury and use it for any purpose "without any 
questions asked." Al-Naimi said that he was public in his 
criticism of the constitution and had voted against it in the 
face of a government-sponsored "yes" campaign. 
 
8. (SBU) Al-Naimi continued that laws in Qatar are not strictly 
enforced and usually include loose and uncertain phrases such as 
"public interest" and a security exception. He said that the rule 
of law in Qatar has regressed in recent years, despite 
appearances to the contrary. In particular, he criticized Law No. 
17 of 2002 which authorizes the Minister of Interior to detain 
someone up to six months or longer subject to the Prime 
Minister's approval, without trial if in the "public interest." 
Al-Naimi also criticized the current Advisory Council for not 
challenging government policy. He believes that the new Advisory 
Council (after elections take place sometime in 2006) will 
continue to reflect government policy since one-third of it will 
be appointed and likely will always support the government. Al 
Naimi believes Qatari society is still not ready to oppose the 
leadership. 
 
9. (SBU) The group speculated whether women would be appointed to 
the Advisory Council next year. (Currently, there are no female 
members.) As one member of the group asked rhetorically, "Why 
have democracy for women when men don't have it?" Guests argued 
that society is not ready and remains sensitive about women in 
public positions. They believed this issue has to be handled 
gradually and carefully. All disapproved of appointing females in 
key posts since, in their opinion, it will result in delays, 
create impediments, and not necessarily benefit society. 
 
10. (SBU) Elaboration over the nationality issue showed two 
opinions. Najeeb Al-Nuaimi believed that the stripping of 
nationality from some Al-Murra members was, in most cases, legal. 
This, he said, is because those tribe members are of Saudi origin 
who came to Qatar after 1972 and were still holding dual 
nationality, which is against the law in Qatar. He based his 
information on a meeting he had with several members of the 
tribe. The other guests, however, believed that the Al-Murra 
lived in Qatar before Qatar became a state and that the stripping 
them of nationality is illegal. Al-Khater added that the concept 
of the citizenship is neither well-defined nor protected in Qatar 
and in other Arab States, as Arab governments don't differentiate 
between citizenship and national origin. Guests cited examples 
and agreed that stripping nationality from dead people -- which 
has the effect of removing nationality from the deceased's 
descendants -- is taking the issue a step too far. 
 
Comment 
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11. (SBU) We found that the individuals we met with shared a 
number of views, though on occasion they were reticent in front 
of their colleagues. Not represented at our lunch were dissidents 
with political-Islamic views, because such a mix would probably 
result in mutual suspicion. Both the liberal and the Islamic 
opposition critiques give perspective to the Qatari government's 
effective message of democratic reform and economic openness. 
Post will continue to develop reports in this area.