Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations
Christopher M. Blanchard
Analyst in Middle Eastern Affairs
November 18, 2009
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
RL31718
CRS Report for Congress
P
repared for Members and Committees of Congress

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Summary
Qatar, a small peninsular country in the Persian Gulf, emerged as a partner of the United States in
the mid-1990s and currently serves as host to major U.S. military facilities. Qatar holds the third-
largest proven natural gas reserves in the world, and its small population enjoys the highest per
capita income in the world. The emir of Qatar, Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has embarked
upon a course of economic development and very limited political liberalization since replacing
his father in a bloodless palace coup in 1995. The Emir has undertaken several projects to
diversify Qatar’s economy and improve educational opportunities for Qatari citizens. As part of
Qatar’s liberalization experiment, the Qatari monarchy founded Al Jazeera, the first all-news
Arabic language satellite television network, in 1995. In an April 2003 referendum, Qatari voters
approved a new constitution that officially granted women the right to vote and run for national
office. The latest elections for Qatar’s Central Municipal Council were held in April 2007.
Elections are being planned for a national Advisory Council established by the new constitution,
but no firm target date for elections has been set.
Following joint military operations during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Qatar and the United
States concluded a Defense Cooperation Agreement that has been subsequently expanded. In
April 2003, the U.S. Combat Air Operations Center for the Middle East moved from Prince
Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia to Qatar’s Al Udeid airbase south of Doha, the Qatari capital. Al
Udeid and other facilities in Qatar serve as logistics, command, and basing hubs for the U.S.
Central Command (CENTCOM) area of operations, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
In spite of serving as the host to a large U.S. military presence and supporting U.S. regional
initiatives, Qatar has remained relatively secure from terrorist attacks. Terrorist statements
indicate that U.S. facilities and energy infrastructure in Qatar remain potential targets. U.S.
officials have described Qatar’s counterterrorism cooperation since 9/11 as significant; however,
some observers have raised questions about possible support for Al Qaeda by some Qatari
citizens, including members of Qatar’s large ruling family. According to the 9/11 Commission
Report, Qatar’s current Interior Minister provided safe haven to 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh
Mohammed during the mid-1990s, and press reports indicate other terrorists may have received
financial support or safe haven in Qatar after September 11, 2001.
Human rights concerns persist. The 2008 State Department human rights report on Qatar notes
that basic civil liberties are curtailed and states that “legislation guiding the sponsorship of
foreign laborers created conditions constituting forced labor or slavery.” According to the 2007
and 2008 reports, enacted safety regulations remain largely unenforced, and diplomats’ visits to
labor camps revealed “the majority of unskilled foreign laborers living in cramped, dirty, and
hazardous conditions, often without running water, electricity, or adequate food.”
Qatari officials have taken an increasingly active diplomatic role in recent years, seeking to
position themselves as mediators and interlocutors in a number of regional conflicts. Qatar’s
willingness to embrace Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas as part of its mediation and outreach
initiatives has at times appeared to anger officials in other regional countries. Egypt and Saudi
Arabia refused to participate in a January 2009 summit on Gaza called by Qatar attended by
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal. The
Obama Administration has not voiced public concern about Qatar’s foreign policy and, like the
Bush Administration, has sought to preserve and expand military and counterterrorism
cooperation with Qatar.
Congressional Research Service

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations


Congressional Research Service

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Contents
Recent Developments.................................................................................................................. 1
Internal Administrative Changes and Qatar’s Foreign Policy ................................................. 1
Israel and the Palestinians ..................................................................................................... 1
Sudan and Darfur .................................................................................................................. 2
Qatari-Arab Relations ........................................................................................................... 2
Qatari-Iranian Relations ........................................................................................................ 2
Qatar’s Economy .................................................................................................................. 3
U.S.-Military Cooperation..................................................................................................... 3
Counterterrorism................................................................................................................... 4
Political Profile ........................................................................................................................... 4
Structure of Government ....................................................................................................... 5
Political Reform and Elections .............................................................................................. 6
Human Rights and Social Issues............................................................................................ 7
Human Rights ................................................................................................................. 7
Islam and Religious Freedom .......................................................................................... 8
Al Jazeera and the Qatari Media...................................................................................... 9
Education...................................................................................................................... 10
Economic Overview.................................................................................................................. 10
U.S.-Qatari Relations ................................................................................................................ 12
Defense, Security, and Terrorism......................................................................................... 13
U.S.-Qatar Defense Cooperation ................................................................................... 13
Internal Security............................................................................................................ 14
Terrorism Concerns....................................................................................................... 15
Counterterrorism Support.............................................................................................. 16
Trade and Economic Relations ............................................................................................ 17
Qatari Foreign Policy ................................................................................................................ 17
Persian Gulf States .............................................................................................................. 18
Bahrain ......................................................................................................................... 18
Saudi Arabia ................................................................................................................. 18
Iraq............................................................................................................................... 20
Iran............................................................................................................................... 20
Arab-Israeli Issues and Lebanon.......................................................................................... 21

Figures
Figure 1. Qatar and Its Neighbors................................................................................................ 5
Figure B-1. Map of Qatar .......................................................................................................... 25

Tables
Table 1. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Qatar FY2005-2009 and FY2010 Request .......................... 13

Congressional Research Service

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Appendixes
Appendix A. Qatar in Brief ....................................................................................................... 23
Appendix B. Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Qatar...................................................... 24

Contacts
Author Contact Information ...................................................................................................... 26

Congressional Research Service

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Recent Developments
Internal Administrative Changes and Qatar’s Foreign Policy
Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir’s fourth-oldest son (age
29), has taken a more active role in Qatar’s policy process in recent months, presiding over
organizational changes that brought several formerly independent agencies under the control of
cabinet ministries and taking the reins at the General Secretariat of Development and Planning,
which is preparing to release Qatar’s National Master Plan for development over the next 25
years.
Emiri decrees released in summer 2009 reorganized the Foreign Ministry into separate
departments for foreign affairs and international cooperation amid observations from some
quarters that have argued that Qatar’s active role in mediating regional conflicts and its ambitious
efforts to raise its global profile are likely taxing the personnel available to the ministry. When
asked in June 2009 for his opinion about the utility of Qatar’s regional mediation efforts, Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr Al Thani told the Qatar-based
satellite news channel Al Jazeera, that “If his highness [the Emir] cares to take my advice, I say
there is no need to continue with these moves.”1 Nevertheless, in September 2009, Qatar offered
to host a gathering of Lebanese politicians to facilitate an agreement for a national unity
government, after Prime Minister-designate Saad Al Hariri declared he was unable to form a
government because of continuing demands from the opposition for a so-called “blocking third”
minority of the 30 seats in the Lebanese cabinet. Lebanese leaders subsequently reached an
agreement amid a flurry of diplomatic activity by Saudi Arabia, Syria, Qatar, and Iran.
Israel and the Palestinians
In an August 2009 interview with London pan-Arab daily Al Hayat, Chief Palestinian negotiator
Saeb Erekat said that the Qatari Emir “expressed profound interest in ending the Palestinian
division and restoring Palestinian unity,” but offered few details regarding any planned Qatari
initiatives or new policy positions.2 Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visited Doha
in late August 2009 in search of Qatari support in Palestinian unity negotiations and as part of a
broader effort to build a unified Arab position on the question of Israeli commitments under the
Roadmap. In August, Qatar offered $10 million in cash payments via the Hamas Administration
in Gaza to support thousands of unemployed Palestinians, including fishermen facing difficulty in
relation to Israel’s blockade of Gaza’s coastal waters. Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal
visited Doha on September 7 and met with Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani. In
March 2009, Qatar pledged $150 million for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip at the
international donors conference in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. An Israeli trade office in Doha was
shuttered by the Qatari government in response to the January 2009 Gaza war and has not been
reopened.

1 BBC Monitoring Middle East, “Shaykh Hamad Bin-Jasim Bin Jabr Al Thani, Premier discusses Qatari mediation, Al-
Jazeera, ties with Egypt, Israel, Saudi” June 26, 2009.
2 U.S. Open Source Center Report GMP20090903825004, “PLO’s Erekat Views Abbas’s Qatar Visit, Palestinian
Division, Peace with Israel,” September 3, 2009.
Congressional Research Service
1

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Sudan and Darfur
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al Bashir visited Doha in March 2009 to attend an Arab League
summit in defiance of an international arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
Qatar has rejected the ICC decision and warrant, considering it disruptive to its efforts and those
of others to mediate a peace agreement between the government of Sudan and a number of rebel
groups in Darfur. In February 2009, Qatar, in its role as the leader of the Arab League’s mediation
efforts for the conflict in Darfur successfully convinced several Darfuri rebel groups, including
the leading Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), to agree to a “declaration of principles.” The
disagreement over the ICC warrant delayed Qatar’s efforts to facilitate a follow-on agreement
until recently, as JEM and others have called for the enforcement of the warrant and reduced their
level of engagement with regional mediators. In early September, JEM officials visited Doha in
preparation for a planned round of negotiations with Sudanese officials at the end of the Muslim
holy month of Ramadan. Darfuri, Qatari, and Sudanese government representatives have
expressed optimism about the prospects for the success of the planned talks. U.S. envoy to Sudan
Scott Gration has engaged in talks to promote unity among Darfur’s rebel factions in the run-up
to the Doha negotiations. In mid-October 2009, a Technical Workshop on Darfur Peace was held
in Doha, and subsequent consultation meetings have been held among local groups across Darfur
to solicit input in preparation for a round of peace talks scheduled for mid-November 2009 in
Doha.
Qatari-Arab Relations
Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem described Qatar’s relationship with Saudi Arabia as “extremely
excellent… strategic relations” in a June interview with Al Jazeera, claiming that the “agreement
with Saudi Arabia was one of love and interests that join the two countries in order to stabilize the
region.” 3 The remarks capped a long process of rapprochement between the formerly feuding
neighbors that has produced a final agreement on a persistent border dispute, amid some lingering
policy disagreements about regional issues (see “Saudi Arabia” below). Saudi Arabia was
instrumental in preventing a quorum of Arab League members from attending a Qatari-hosted
conference in January 2009 to respond to Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip. Qatar
continues to call for Egypt and other Arab states to more forcefully insist that Israel end its
blockade of the Gaza Strip and allow unrestricted flows of goods and services for the
reconstruction of the territory and the support of its population. This, among other recent
developments, has led Egypt to accuse Qatar of undermining peace efforts and attempting to
usurp the traditional leadership roles of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Qatari-Iranian Relations
Qatar continues its policy of engagement with Iran, even in the wake of Iran’s post-election
turmoil. Qatar’s approach to Iran is based on the countries’ shared energy reserves and Qatar’s
calculation that any regional conflict involving Iran may invite attacks on U.S. forces and
installations based in Qatar. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem characterized the election dispute as “an
internal matter because we must respect the right of each state to solve its own problems. The
Iranians will decide how to resolve their problems among themselves, and I am certain that they

3 BBC Monitoring Middle East, “Shaykh Hamad Bin-Jasim Bin Jabr Al Thani, Premier discusses Qatari mediation, Al-
Jazeera, ties with Egypt, Israel, Saudi” June 26, 2009.
Congressional Research Service
2

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

will bypass this crisis.”4 Emir Hamad bin Khalifa visited Iran on November 5, 2009, to discuss
regional and bilateral issues, security, and Iran-GCC cooperation. The Chief of Staff of the Qatari
Armed Forces Major General Hamad bin Ali al Attiyah travelled to Iran in July 2009 and held
security talks with Iranian defense officials, including the commander of the Iranian
Revolutionary Guards Corps. Iran’s Ambassador to Qatar has stated that Sheikh Tamim bin
Hamad plans to visit Tehran to conclude a number of memoranda of understanding; Qatar has not
verified the reported plans.
Qatar’s Economy
Qatar’s energy-fueled GDP growth and small population have catapulted the country to the top
of the global per capita GDP rankings, with a 2008 estimate of $110,700. Economic growth is
projected by the IMF to stay above 15% in 2009, in spite of the global recession. The country’s
fiscal position remains strong in spite of the retreat of oil prices from their 2008 high, which
brought record revenue to Qatar’s treasury in the first three-quarters of the year. The
government’s 2009 budget projects a small deficit based on a low oil price assumption of $40
dollars per barrel; observers expect actual earnings will net another surplus for Qatar, even after
an expected increase over planned spending levels.
Many regional economic experts are arguing that although the global credit crunch and resulting
recession have wiped out the value of many real estate and local stock holdings, the experience
may turn out to be a net positive for economies like Qatar’s, where rapidly expanding real estate
sectors and inflows of speculative capital were driving inflation rates into the double digits and
local banks were not exercising good management practices over their lending portfolios. In
describing Qatar’s response to the losses facing its banking sector, the Middle East Economic
Digest described Qatar as “probably the most interventionist government in the region.” Qatar has
invested close to $6 billion to purchase several types of asset holdings from its domestic banks in
an effort to ensure that the banks continue lending. Some observers have raised questions about
the long term ability of Qatar to attract private sector investment and produce employment
opportunities once the current phase of large state-supported infrastructure investment is
complete. By all accounts, Qatari officials remain confident in their economic prospects and
appear to be committed to using the downturn as an opportunity to regroup and assess lessons
learned and mistakes made during the country’s recent boom.
U.S.-Military Cooperation
The Al Udeid airbase south of Doha, the Qatari capital, serves as a logistics, command, and
basing hub for U.S. operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Nearby Camp As Sayliyah houses
significant U.S. military equipment pre-positioning and command facilities for the U.S. Central
Command (CENTCOM) area of operations. The Obama Administration requested $60 million in
FY2010 military construction funds for further upgrades to U.S. facilities in Qatar as part of an
ongoing expansion and modernization program that has been underway since 2003 at a cost of
over $200 million. The Administration is requesting $15,000 in International Military Education
and Training assistance funds for Qatar in FY2010. The minimal amount has the administrative
effect of making Qatar eligible to purchase other U.S. military training at a reduced rate available
only to IMET recipients.

4 Ibid.
Congressional Research Service
3

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Counterterrorism
The 2008 U.S. State Department country report on terrorism in Qatar states that “While
counterterrorism cooperation between Qatar and the United States remained positive, the United
States continued to strive for increased cooperation with the Qatari government on information
sharing.” The report notes joint training initiatives and credits Qatar with a number of
administrative arrangements designed to improve the government’s ability to detect and respond
to terrorist threats. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Richard
Holbrooke recently has tried to refocus international attention on illicit finance glows from the
Persian Gulf region, indicating that counter-terrorist financing cooperation may be an issue that
requires further scrutiny. In June he argued that, “In the past, there was a kind of a feeling . . . that
the money all came from drugs in Afghanistan. That is simply not true. Time and time again,
people go back to private individuals who support the extremists, who bring money in various
illegal ways. . . . And the area that seems to be focused on is usually the GCC countries.”5 Senator
John Kerry has voiced specific concerns about alleged Qatari government and private support to
Hamas, arguing in April 2009 that “Qatar… can’t continue to be an American ally on Monday
that sends money to Hamas on Tuesday.”6
Political Profile
Qatar, a small peninsular state bordering Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf, is a constitutional
monarchy governed by the Al Thani family. The country gained independence from the United
Kingdom on September 3, 1971. Qatar’s emir, Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, replaced his
father as Qatar’s ruler in a 1995 palace coup and has survived at least one counter-coup attempt.7

5 Jay Solomon, “U.S. Targets Flow of Funds To Insurgents,” Wall Street Journal, June 6, 2009.
6 US Fed News, “Sen. Kerry Speaks on Middle East to Brookings Institute,” April 2, 2009.
7 The term “Emir” (or Amir), often translated as prince, is the term used for monarch or ruler in the Persian Gulf
region. The term “Shaikh” (or Sheikh or Shaykh) is an honorific title, which can mean a ruler, a tribal leader, or a
venerable religious figure. “Shaikh” is pronounced with a long A (as in “say”), not a long E (as in “see”).
Congressional Research Service
4


Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

On June 27, 1995, in a bloodless palace coup,
Shaikh Hamad replaced his father, Khalifa,
Figure 1. Qatar and Its Neighbors
who had ruled Qatar for 23 years. At the time,
Khalifa had turned over many routine affairs
of state to Shaikh Hamad, then crown prince
and commander of Qatar’s small armed
forces. Key members of the ruling Al Thani
family rallied behind Shaikh Hamad, who
quickly consolidated control. In February
1996, supporters of Shaikh Hamad’s father
unsuccessfully attempted a counter-coup,
which prompted Shaikh Hamad to initiate
civil proceedings against his father to retrieve
an alleged $3-$12 billion of state assets
supposedly in his possession.8 The alleged
mastermind of the counter-coup attempt,
Shaikh Hamad’s cousin and a former minister
Shaikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad Al
Thani, was captured outside of Qatar and
prosecuted. Saudi Arabian mediation
facilitated an out-of-court settlement between
the emir and his father, and they have

reconciled.
Shaikh Hamad, at age 54, has been described as a representative of a new generation of Persian
Gulf leaders alongside the sons of the late Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi and Sheikh Mohammed
bin Rashid of Dubai.9 Like King Abdullah II of Jordan, Shaikh Hamad was educated in the
United Kingdom and holds degrees from Sandhurst Military Academy and Cambridge University.
Sheikh Hamad has three wives and 11 children. In 1997, the Emir underwent kidney transplant
surgery in the United States.
Structure of Government
The emir is head of the executive branch of the Qatari government and appoints members of the
Al Thani family and other notables to a governing Council of Ministers (cabinet), which is
headed by Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani. The
country’s constitution (approved in April 2003 and in force as of June 2005) formalized Qatari
tradition that the rule of the state is hereditary within the Al Thani family. In addition, the
constitution reflects the previously contested principle that future successors to the throne will
follow the line of the emir’s male offspring.10 Previous succession decisions have been
characterized by rivalry among different branches of the Al Thani family. In spite of the
codification, it is unclear whether a future transition to Shaikh Hamad’s heir would be contested

8 Some Qataris believe that the government of Saudi Arabia supported Shaikh Khalifa in his attempt to return to power
in Qatar. See Craig S. Smith, “A Tiny Gulf Kingdom Bets its Stability on Support for U.S.,” The New York Times,
October 24, 2002.
9 The Emir’s official website is available at http://www.diwan.gov.qa/english/main_page_english_NF.htm.
10 The constitution was approved in a nationwide referendum in which 96.6% of participating voters (68,987) approved
the constitution and only 3.3.% opposed it (2,145).
Congressional Research Service
5

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

by other elements of the royal family, who, by all accounts, continue to compete for influence and
attention. In August 2003, the emir replaced his third-oldest son, Jassem bin Hamad Al Thani, as
his heir apparent. His fourth-oldest son, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, is now the named successor
to the Qatari monarchy; he is 29 years old.11
The constitution states that legislative authority will reside in the hands of a 45-member Advisory
Council (Majlis Al Shura), two-thirds of which will be directly elected and one-third appointed by
the Emir from among ministers or others.12 The emir appoints all of the members of the current
Advisory Council; members serve four-year terms at the emir’s discretion. A special electoral law
for new Advisory Council elections was passed in May 2008 after concerns about voter franchise
extension were resolved.13 In the interim, the term of the current Advisory Council has been
extended to 2010. Some observers doubt that the Qatari leadership intends to fully implement the
changes implied in the 2003 constitution because democratic decision making could disrupt
existing patronage relationships that ensure the support of rival social and royal family factions
for the monarchy.14
Although national elections for the new Advisory Council have been delayed and a target date has
not been set, administrative preparations reportedly continue, and women will have the right to
vote in the elections and to run for office. The Advisory Council will have oversight authority
over the Council of Ministers and will be able to propose legislation and review budgets. The
constitution also empowers the Advisory Council to issue motions of no-confidence against
government ministers; no-confidence motions must be approved by two-thirds of the Advisory
Council. Council members will serve four-year terms.
Political Reform and Elections
Shaikh Hamad and his advisers have embarked on a limited political reform program designed to
gradually make Qatar’s government more participatory and accountable. Although a series of
national elections have been held (see below), the government continues to maintain strict limits
on freedoms of assembly and association; a series of new laws allow for individuals to organize
political demonstrations and public gatherings, but organizers must obtain a permit from the
government, and Qatari authorities may impose restrictions on the topics of discussion. Political

11 Jassem bin Hamad replaced his older brother Mishaal bin Hamad as heir apparent in October 1996. Shaikh Jassem
reportedly was either dissatisfied with his lack of substantive responsibilities, or did not have an interest in continuing
to serve as crown prince. According to some reports, the Emir’s second-oldest son, Fahd bin Hamad Al Thani, closely
associated himself with Arab volunteers to the anti-Soviet conflict in Afghanistan during the 1980s and is believed to
retain close ties to conservative Islamic figures. See Michael Knights and Anna Solomon-Schwartz, “The Broader
Threat from Sunni Islamists in the Gulf,” PolicyWatch #883, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, July 19, 2004.
12 Prior to the establishment of a partially elected national assembly, Qatar had a fully-appointed, 35-member advisory
council that could only make recommendations to the Council of Ministers. Qatar’s old Provisional Constitution
provided for a modified electoral procedure in choosing members of the Council and a three-year term; nevertheless,
the Council remained appointive in practice, and terms of the Council members were extended in three or four-year
increments since 1975.
13 Reportedly some members of the Al Thani family sought to restrict voting rights to so-called “native” Qataris whose
families have lived in Qatar since 1930 or before. The 2007 U.S. Department of State Human Rights report for Qatar
estimated that an electorate with that criteria could be “less than 50,000.” Under a compromise, post-1930 naturalized
citizens who have been citizens for ten years will have voting rights and will be eligible to run for office if their fathers
were born in Qatar. Economist Intelligence Unit, “Advisory Council approves new electoral law,” June 1, 2008.
14 Mehran Kamrava, “Royal Factionalism and Political Liberalization in Qatar,” Middle East Journal, Volume 63,
Issue 3, July 1, 2009.
Congressional Research Service
6

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

parties are not allowed in Qatar, and all private professional and cultural associations must
register with the state and are monitored.
Qatari authorities have allowed a series of national elections as components of the country’s
gradual transition toward greater democratic participation. The elections also have provided a
“trial and error” setting for the creation and improvement of Qatar’s national electoral
infrastructure. In April 1998, 3,700 business community leaders participated in an election for a
national Chamber of Commerce, selecting 17 members from a slate of 41 candidates. In a March
1999 Central Municipal Council election, 248 candidates (including 6 women) competed for 29
seats, and all adult Qatari citizens, with the exception of members of the police and armed forces,
were allowed to vote and run for office. The election marked the first time a Persian Gulf country
had enfranchised all of its male and female citizens in a nationwide election.15 In April 2003,
national elections for the Municipal Council’s new term resulted in the first electoral victory for a
Qatari female candidate, Shaikha Yousef Al Jiffri, an appointed officer at the Education Ministry
who ran unopposed.16 The latest round of elections was held in April 2007, and voter turnout was
higher than in previous elections. Authorities announced that 51% of 28,000 eligible Qatari voters
cast ballots—over 80% of the country’s population of 907,000 are ineligible to vote because they
are foreign nationals.17
Although the Municipal Council functions primarily in an advisory role to the Ministry of
Municipal and Agricultural Affairs, some observers view it as a stepping-stone to the wider
political liberalization implied by the creation of the Advisory Council in the new constitution.
Similarly, the national elections for the Municipal Council are seen by Qatari officials as test
cases for future Advisory Council elections.
Human Rights and Social Issues
Human Rights
The U.S. State Department Country Report on Human Rights for 2008 states that Qatar’s
government “placed varying restrictions on civil liberties, including freedoms of speech, press
(including the Internet), assembly, association, and religion.”18 According to the report, the rights
of non-citizens are at times abused, particularly among domestic servants from the Phillippines
and South East Asia. As in other Gulf countries, expatriate laborers are vulnerable to exploitation
by employers who capitalize on their fear of deportation. Citizenship is withheld from foreign
workers, who outnumber native Qataris in the labor force by an estimated ratio of more than 5 to
1.19 In December 2004, Qatar announced that it was banning the use of children as camel jockeys,
a practice long decried by the international community. Qatar remained a Tier 2 Watch List
country in the U.S. State Department 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report.20 According to the

15 All six female candidates were defeated in the 1999 election.
16 “Qatar Elects First Woman to Council Doha,” Gulf News, April 8, 2003.
17 Dow Jones, “Qatari Officials Pleased With Voter Turnout In Municipal Poll,” April 2, 2007.
18 U.S. Department of State, 2008 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Qatar, February 25, 2009. Available
at: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/nea/119125.htm.
19 The new Qatari constitution does not address the rights of foreign guest workers.
20 U.S. State Department 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report on Qatar available at
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/123139.htm. Released on June 16, 2009.
Congressional Research Service
7

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

report, “Senior members of the Qatari government have indicated their plans to finalize and enact
a draft comprehensive law on human trafficking.”
In May 2004, the Emir issued a new labor law, which gives Qatari nationals the right to form
associations with legal status and allows workers to strike. The new legislation also bans
employing youth under the age of 16, sets the working day at eight hours, and grants women
equal rights with men, in addition to a paid 50-day maternity leave. Some observers have
criticized the new legislation for not extending legal protections to Qatar’s large foreign
workforce. Critics charge that the labor law places additional restrictions on guest workers by
prohibiting non-citizens from forming labor unions and restricting their ability to bargain
collectively and to strike. Law Number 7 of 2007 established a labor court to hear the grievances
of foreign laborers. The 2008 State Department human rights report states that “legislation
guiding the sponsorship of foreign laborers created conditions constituting forced labor or
slavery.” According to the 2007 and 2008 reports, diplomats’ visits to labor camps revealed “the
majority of unskilled foreign laborers living in cramped, dirty, and hazardous conditions, often
without running water, electricity, or adequate food.”
Islam and Religious Freedom21
Islam is the official religion of the state of Qatar. Conditional freedom of worship is protected
under the constitution, although proselytizing by non-Muslims is illegal. Qatar, like Saudi Arabia,
officially adheres to the Wahhabi version of Sunni Islam; however, in contrast with Saudi Arabia,
Wahhabi social tenets are not publicly enforced or strictly adhered to in many public settings.22
Qatar hosts a number of conservative Islamic clerics, including Dr. Yusuf Al Qaradawi, a
controversial figure whose views on the conditional legitimacy of suicide bombing and whose
outspoken critiques of Israel, the United States, and terrorism have made him a target of criticism
from a wide range of observers. During the summer 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war and 2008-2009
Israel-Hamas war, Qaradawi publicly argued that Muslims should support the activities of
Hezbollah and Hamas as legitimate resistance activities, based on Quranic injunctions to defend
Muslim territory invaded by outsiders.23 Qaradawi hosts a popular weekly call-in television show
on Al Jazeera and frequently delivers sermons in Qatari mosques.
Qaradawi has worked with a charitable umbrella organization known as the Union of Good that
coordinates the delivery of relief and assistance to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
In November 2008, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated the Union of Good as a
financial supporter of terrorism pursuant to Executive Order 13224. According to the Treasury,
“The Union of Good acts as a broker for Hamas by facilitating financial transfers between a web
of charitable organizations--including several organizations previously designated under E.O.

21 U.S. State Department 2009 International Religious Freedom Report on Qatar available at
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2009/127356.htm. Released on October 26, 2009.
22 For more on Sunni Islam and Wahhabism, see CRS Report RS21745, Islam: Sunnis and Shiites; and CRS Report
RS21695, The Islamic Traditions of Wahhabism and Salafiyya, both by Christopher M. Blanchard.
23 “Islamic Cleric Al-Qaradawi Supports Hizballah, HAMAS,” Al-Jazirah Television (Doha), OSC Document
GMP20060730638004, July 30, 2006. Qaradawi is regarded as conservative by many Muslims, although his declared
views on the legitimacy of “struggle” and “martyrdom operations” against “occupation forces” have made him
controversial to some in the Islamic world as well as many in the United States and Israel. He has been criticized by
violent Islamic groups for his condemnations of terrorist attacks on civilians.
Congressional Research Service
8

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

13224 for providing support to Hamas--and Hamas-controlled organizations in the West Bank and
Gaza.”24
According to the State Department 2009 report on International Religious Freedom, Qatar has
officially recognized the Catholic, Anglican, Greek and other Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, and
Indian Christian churches, and permits private worship for other denominations and religions.25 In
November 2005, the emir donated a plot of land for the construction of a $7 million Anglican
church; construction began in April 2006.26 A new Roman Catholic church opened in March 2008
and others remain under construction. Qatar established diplomatic ties with the Holy See in
November 2002. Qatar does not ban alcohol, which is available in licensed premises such as the
bars of major hotels and clubs.
Al Jazeera and the Qatari Media
Shaikh Hamad helped establish the Al Jazeera satellite television news network in 1996 with a
$140 million grant. Since then, the Qatari government has provided most of the channel’s
funding, as advertising revenue reportedly does not support the entirety of Al Jazeera’s annual
operating expenses. In the past, Qatari government officials and Al Jazeera executives have
argued that the station’s inability to attract sufficient advertising revenue was a function of the
channel’s controversial status across the Middle East. These officials and executives alleged that
other Arab governments exerted pressure on companies based in or operating in their countries to
refrain from advertising on Al Jazeera, because the channel was providing coverage of internal
political, social, and economic developments that may have been unflattering to ruling regimes or
less biased or censored than traditional government-run media outlets.27
As Al Jazeera became more widely accepted in the region and stepped back its criticism of some
regional governments, these concerns became less relevant. The proliferation of similar satellite
news channels in the region also has increased competition and created outlets for other views.
Some parties may continue to disagree with what they perceive to be Al Jazeera’s editorial
position on controversial subjects like Iran, Iraq, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since its
founding, Al Jazeera has devoted considerably less of its air time to coverage of Qatari affairs
than to coverage of the internal affairs of other Arab states. Al Jazeera launched an international
English language satellite channel in 2006 that now broadcasts in the United States. It has won
praise from some media observers for its coverage of international affairs, including conflicts and
issues often overlooked by other media outlets. Others have criticized the international English
channel as carrying the same alleged biases reflected in the programming of its Arabic language
affiliate.
Although the Qatari government lifted formal censorship of the Qatari media by decree in 1995,
the U.S. Department of State reports that journalists tend to exercise a degree of self-censorship,
particularly with regard to the Emir and his immediate family.28 Internet service in Qatar is

24 For more on the Union of Good, see http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/hp1267.htm.
25 U.S. State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, International Religious Freedom Report –
2009, Qatar, released October 26, 2009.
26 Michael Theodoulou, “Muslim State to Build first Christian Church for 1,400 Years,” The Times (London)
November 2, 2005.
27 Author meeting at Al Jazeera headquarters, January 2005.
28 U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Country Reports on Human Rights
(continued...)
Congressional Research Service
9

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

monitored for pornography and other material considered insulting to Islam. In January 2008,
Qatar signed an agreement with Reporters Without Borders to create the Doha Media Freedom
Center, an organization intended to spread “the culture of freedom of the press and media and in
defending the press and media people who are subjected to harassment, detention and ill-
treatment because of their professional activity.”29 Its director, former Reporters Without Borders
head Robert Menard, resigned in a public spat with Qatari leaders in June 2009 after he claimed
that the Center “has been suffocated,” and alleged that “some Qatari officials never wanted an
independent Center, free to speak out without concern for politics or diplomacy, free to criticize
even Qatar.”30 Qatari observers alleged mismanagement by Menard and criticized him as having
pursued an agenda that jeopardized Qatar’s diplomatic relationships. The Center remains active.
Education
Qatar has invested heavily in improving the educational opportunities available to its citizens in
recent years. Prominent Qatari women also have taken a leading role in a number of education
reform programs. On May 5, 2003, Shaikh Hamad appointed Shaikha Bint Ahmed al Mahmoud,
daughter of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, as Minster of Education. This appointment
signified the first appointment ever of a female cabinet minister in any Persian Gulf state. She
resigned in April 2009 and was replaced by a member of her family Saad Bin Ibrahim al
Mahmoud. In October 2003, Shaikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, one of Shaikh Hamad’s
wives, helped launch Qatar’s new “Education City,” a state-of-the-art campus complex in Doha
that offers degrees from several U.S. universities including Weill Cornell Medical College,
Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Texas A&M University,
Virginia Commonwealth University, Northwestern University, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Shaikha Mozah serves as the Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation, which directs Education
City’s activities.31 The RAND Corporation has evaluated and recommended reform options for
Qatar’s primary, secondary, and post-secondary education systems and operates a public policy
analysis center in cooperation with the Qatar Foundation on the Education City campus.
Economic Overview
In January 2009, the IMF concluded that, in spite of the global financial crisis and the resulting
economic slowdown, “Qatar will still maintain on average double-digit growth rates in non-oil
real GDP and will continue to record fiscal and current account surpluses” over the medium term.
Oil and natural gas production is the mainstay of Qatar’s robust economy, which has experienced
an average annual growth rate of 11.6% from 2005 through 2009.32 Shaikh Hamad has borrowed
heavily from foreign banks since the late-1990s in order to modernize Qatar’s energy
infrastructure. The efforts have produced significant returns, and the Economist Intelligence

(...continued)
Practices , Qatar - 2006, March 6, 2007.
29 Qatar News Agency, “Deal on media freedom signed,” January 4, 2008.
30 Agence France Presse, “French head of Qatar media watchdog quits,” June 23, 2009.
31 For more on Education City and the Qatar Foundation, which oversees its activities, see the Foundation’s website,
available at http://www.qf.edu.qa/output/Page1.asp.
32 CRS calculation using Economist Intelligence Unit economic data series DGDP: percentage change in real GDP.
EIU data is “based on estimates from the Planning Council at the State of Qatar.” November 2009.
Congressional Research Service
10

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Unit’s annual growth projection for Qatar in 2010 is over 24%, led by projected increases in
natural gas export revenue.33 In February 2007, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister
Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani reiterated that Qatar is pursuing parallel economic reform,
education, and investment strategies in order to create economic growth opportunities not tied to
the country’s natural resources.34
Qatar Petroleum (QP), the state-owned oil company, has increased its output from 593,000 barrels
per day (b/d) in 1999 to approximately 824,000 b/d after an OPEC-coordinated production cut in
December 2008.35 However, with oil reserves likely to be exhausted by 2026 at current
production rates, Qatar is rapidly moving to exploit its vast natural gas reserves.36 Japan, South
Korea, and Singapore are the leading importers of oil from Qatar.
As part of a long-term development strategy, Qatar has tapped international financial markets and
invited foreign investment in recent years in order to finance the expansion of its gas extraction
and liquified natural gas (LNG) production facilities.37 The Export-Import Bank of the United
States has provided over $1 billion dollars in loan guarantees to support the development of
Qatar’s gas production facilities in cooperation with a range of U.S., European, and Asian
companies, banks, and export credit agencies.38
Qatar has expanded its yearly LNG output from 4.5 million tons annually in 2002 to 43 million
tons in 2009, and is now the world’s largest exporter of LNG.39 Although Qatar’s LNG industry
has low capital costs due to government investment, it has high operational costs, which has
required Qatar to develop economies of scale in order to be more competitive with established
LNG exporters such as Indonesia and Nigeria.40 The large natural gas production and shipping
facilities at the coastal city of Ras Laffan in northern Qatar serve as the main site for the country’s
gas development projects, with several independent gas production and conversion “trains” linked
to corresponding fields and contracted export markets. Long term contracts at fixed prices have
ensured that Qatar has earned steady returns from its exports even in light of the global economic
downturn. Emir Hamad bin Khalifa and then-Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly

33 Economist Intelligence Unit, Country Data, accessed November 2, 2009.
34 The Peninsula (Doha)/Reuters, “Qatari FM Hints at Changes in Sponsorship Rules, Diversification of Economy,”
February 27, 2007.
35 Economist Intelligence Unit, “Qatar has cut oil production in line with OPEC's decision,” December 8, 2008.
36 With proven oil reserves of 15.2 billion barrels, Qatar has far less oil than the major Persian Gulf producers, such as
Kuwait (96.5 billion barrels), Iraq (112 billion barrels), and Saudi Arabia (252 billion barrels). However, Qatar has the
third largest natural gas reserves in the world behind Russia and Iran. Qatar’s supply of natural gas doubled in 2002,
when surveyors discovered new gas deposits in Qatar’s north field.
37 Qatar’s government has a 60%-70% stake in two joint partnerships with foreign firms, including ExxonMobil (USA),
TotalFinaElf (France), KoGas (South Korea), and Matsui (Japan). In February 2005, Qatar Petroleum signed a $7
billion agreement with Shell and a $12 billion agreement with ExxonMobil to export natural gas to the United States
and Europe.
38 For example, since 1996, the Export Import Bank has provided loan guarantees to support the export of U.S.
equipment and services for the construction of facilities at Ras Laffan, including most recently, the construction of
natural gas liquefaction plants and facilities associated with the QatarGas II and III projects. See Export Import Bank of
the United States, “Ex-Im Bank $930 Million Guarantee Supports U.S. Exports to Build LNG Plant in Qatar,”
November 18, 2004; and Export Import Bank of the United States, “Ex-Im Bank Finances QatarGas 3 Liquid Natural
Gas Complex, December 15, 2005.
39 Middle East Economic Digest, “Doha continues to shine,” October 30, 2009.
40 Meeting with Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Gas, and Ras Gas executives, Ras Laffan, Qatar, January 2005.
Congressional Research Service
11

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

discussed plans to create an organization of natural gas producing countries, sparking fears
among some observers that an OPEC-style natural gas cartel could emerge.41
Qatar has signed several agreements with U.S. energy companies (ConocoPhillips and
ExxonMobil) and other international companies to develop facilities to export LNG to the United
States, the UK, Spain, Italy, South Korea, Taiwan, and India. Under Project Dolphin, Qatar has
begun exporting natural gas via an underwater pipeline to the United Arab Emirates, although
objections from Saudi Arabia have limited progress in other areas (see “Qatari Foreign Policy,”
below). Qatari government officials reported that natural gas revenues exceed oil income for the
first time in 2008. Qatar also is in the midst of several gas-to-liquids (GTL) projects and aims to
become the largest GTL producer in the world. In February 2007, Qatar Petroleum and
ExxonMobil announced that a planned joint-GTL production facility project would be cancelled
in the wake of rising cost projections. Other GTL plans are proceeding.
U.S.-Qatari Relations
A U.S. embassy opened in Doha in 1973, but U.S. relations with Qatar did not blossom until after
the 1991 Persian Gulf war. In the late 1980s, the United States and Qatar engaged in a prolonged
diplomatic dispute regarding Qatar’s black market procurement of U.S.-made Stinger anti-aircraft
missiles.42 The dispute froze planned economic and military cooperation, and Congress approved
a ban on arms sales to Qatar (Section 566(d), P.L. 100-461) until the months leading up to the
1991 Gulf War, when Qatar allowed coalition forces to operate from Qatari territory and agreed to
destroy the missiles in question.43 In January 1991, Qatari armored forces helped coalition troops
repel an Iraqi attack on the Saudi Arabian town of Kafji, on the coastal road leading south from
Kuwait into Saudi Arabia’s oil rich Eastern Province.44 In June 1992, Qatar signed a defense
cooperation agreement with the United States, opening a period of close coordination in military
affairs that has continued to the present.
The United States promptly recognized the assumption of power by Shaikh Hamad in June 1995
and has welcomed Qatar’s defense cooperation, as well as Qatari political, economic, and
educational reform efforts since that time. Qatari-U.S. defense relations have expanded over the
last 15 years to include cooperative defense exercises, equipment pre-positioning, and base access
agreements, although Qatari officials have been, at times, critical of U.S. military operations in
the Persian Gulf.45 U.S. concerns regarding alleged material support for terrorist groups by some

41 Platts Commodity News, “Russia, Qatar to discuss alliance of gas producer nations,” February 13, 2007.
42 Qatar defended its procurement of the missiles in protest of the sale of similar missiles by the United States to
Bahrain, with which Qatar had an unresolved border dispute until 2001. Elaine Sciolino, “Qatar Rejects U.S. Demand
For Return of Illicit Stingers,” New York Times, June 28, 1988; Patrick E. Tyler, “U.S. Drawn Into Gulf Dispute - Stray
Stingers Tied To Qatar-Bahrain Tiff,” Washington Post, October 6, 1988.
43 The ban was formally repealed by the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations
Act of 1991 (Section 568(b), P.L. 101-513). The conference report on H.R. 5114, Foreign Operations, Export
Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1991 (H.Rept. 101-968) inserted Senate language (Amendment
No. 144) that repealed the ban based on information provided by the Secretary of Defense “that it is in the national
interest to reestablish United States-Qatari security relations because of their support for United States troops in the
Middle East.”
44 Thomas Ferraro, “Allies Retake Saudi City,” United Press International, January 31, 1991; and Joseph Albright,
“Marines Take Credit for Khafji Victory,” Atlanta Journal and Constitution, February 3, 1991.
45 Qatari officials at times took steps to distance themselves from Operation Southern Watch and associated U.S. and
(continued...)
Congressional Research Service
12

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Qataris, including members of the royal family, have been balanced over time by Qatar’s
counterterrorism efforts and its broader, long-term commitment to host and support U.S. military
forces being used in ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, Qatari-U.S. relations
remain cordial and close. Since September 2005, Qatar has donated $100 million to victims of
Hurricane Katrina in the U.S. Gulf states.
The U.S. has provided limited counterterrorism assistance to Qatar to support the development of
its domestic security forces (see Table 1 below), and the Export-Import Bank has provided over
$2 billion in loan guarantees to support various natural gas development projects in Qatar since
1996.
Table 1. U.S. Foreign Assistance to Qatar FY2005-2009 and FY2010 Request
($ thousands)
Account FY2005
FY2006
FY2007
FY2008
FY2009
FY2010
Estimate
Request
IMETa -
-
-
-
15 15
NADR-
1,379 788 1,120c 268c - -
ATAb
NADR-
- 118 - -
CTF
Source: U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget Justifications for Foreign Operations, FY2007-FY2010.
a. Qatar did not participate in the IMET program prior to FY2009. The Bush Administration requested the
provision of nominal IMET assistance because Qatari participation in the IMET program would make Qatar
eligible to purchase other U.S. training at a reduced cost. The Obama Administration continued this request
for FY2010. Section 21(c) of P.L.90-629, the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) as amended, states that
IMET recipient countries are eligible to purchase non-IMET training at reduced cost. Section 108(a) of P.L.
99-83 amended the AECA to provide this reduced cost benefit to IMET recipients. The U.S. Defense
Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) implements the authority provided in P.L. 99-83 to apply a lower
cost to U.S. military training purchased by Qatar and other IMET recipient countries through the Foreign
Military Sales (FMS) program. At present, the "incremental rates" applied to the FMS training purchases of
IMET recipient countries are calculated according to the terms outlined in Department of Defense Financial
Management Regulation (FMR), Volume 15, Chapter 7 (Sections 0711 and 0712).
b. Through the end of FY2006, over $3.3 million in Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, De-mining and Related
Programs - Anti-terrorism Assistance (NADR - ATA) has been provided to train over 500 Qatari security
officers and officials since FY1987.
c. Aid al ocation amounts released by the State Department did not distinguish between NADR sub-accounts.
Defense, Security, and Terrorism
U.S.-Qatar Defense Cooperation
With its small territory and narrow population base, Qatar relies to a large degree on external
cooperation and support for its security. With a personnel strength of 11,800, Qatar’s armed

(...continued)
coalition air strikes in the southern no-fly zone of Iraq.
Congressional Research Service
13

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

forces are the second smallest in the Middle East.46 France has provided approximately 80% of
Qatar’s arms inventory. Since the 1991 Gulf war, Qatar has pursued a limited program of force
modernization. To date, however, it has not purchased significant U.S. weapons systems, although
the Qatari government may be considering the purchase of U.S. air and missile defense systems
in line with regional trends.
The Al Udeid airbase south of Doha, the Qatari capital, serves as a logistics, command, and
basing hub for U.S. operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Nearby Camp As Sayliyah houses
significant U.S. military equipment pre-positioning and command facilities for the U.S. Central
Command (CENTCOM) area of operations. Qatar invested over $1 billion to construct the Al
Udeid air base during the 1990s; it did not have an air force of its own at the time. The U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers also awarded over $100 million dollars in Military Construction Air Force
(MCAF) contracts for the construction of U.S. storage, housing, service, command, and
communication facilities. Qatar’s financing and construction of some of the state-of-the-art air
force base at Al Udeid and its granting of permission for the construction of U.S.-funded facilities
facilitated gradually deeper cooperation with U.S. military forces. U.S. access to the base there
was formalized in late 2000. In April 2003, the U.S. Combat Air Operations Center for the Middle
East moved from Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia to Qatar’s Al Udeid. Qatar contributed
$400 million to U.S. efforts to upgrade and construct facilities there, including a new air
operations command center.47 The base currently serves as the home of the 379th Air
Expeditionary Wing.
From FY2003 to FY2007, Congress appropriated and authorized $126 million for U.S. military
construction activities in Qatar. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008
(P.L. 110-181) authorized $81.7 million in FY2008 spending to build new Air Force and Special
Operations facilities in Qatar. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (P.L.
110-417) authorizes $69.6 million in FY2009 spending to build new Air Force and Special
Operations facilities. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (P.L. 111-84)
authorizes $60 million in FY2010 spending to build new Air Force recreational and dormitory
facilities at Al Udeid.
Internal Security
Terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia during 2003 and 2004 forced U.S. and Qatari officials to focus
on Qatar’s internal security, as analysts have expressed concern that Al Qaeda operatives
displaced by an ongoing Saudi crackdown or other local terrorist cells could try to establish a
presence and destabilize Qatar. In November 2004, the U.S. State Department issued a warning of
a possible terrorist attack against a hotel or hotels used by Americans in Doha. The warning
expired without incident. On March 19, 2005, an Egyptian national carried out a car bomb attack
at a theater popular with Western expatriates on the outskirts of the capital city of Doha. The car
bombing, the first terrorist incident of its kind in Qatar, killed one British citizen and wounded 12
others. The suicide bomber was an engineer employed at Qatar Petroleum, and authorities have
been unable to definitively link him to Al Qaeda or other terrorist groups. The attack came on the
second anniversary of the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom and a week after an Al Qaeda

46 Bahrain, with an estimated 11,000-member force, has the smallest.
47 Michael R. Gordan and Eric Schmitt, “U.S. Will Move Air Operations to Qatar Base,” New York Times, April 28,
2003; and Eric Schmitt, “Pentagon Construction Boom Beefs Up Mideast Air Bases,” New York Times, September 18,
2005.
Congressional Research Service
14

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

leader in Saudi Arabia called for a new wave of attacks against Western interests in the Persian
Gulf. The Qatari Ministry of the Interior is responsible for internal security and is legally
empowered to detain suspects without trial for up to two years.
Terrorism Concerns
According to the 9/11 Commission Report and former U.S. government officials, royal family
member and current Qatari Interior Minister, Shaikh Abdullah bin Khalid Al Thani, provided safe
harbor and assistance to Al Qaeda leaders during the 1990s, including the suspected mastermind
of the September 11 hijacking plot, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.48 Former U.S. officials and
leaked U.S. government reports state that Osama Bin Laden also visited Doha twice during the
mid-1990s as a guest of Shaikh Abdullah bin Khalid, who then served as Qatar’s Minister for
Religious Endowments & Islamic Affairs, and, later, as Minister of State for Internal Affairs.
During a January 1996 visit to Doha, Bin Laden reportedly “discussed the successful movement
of explosives into Saudi Arabia, and operations targeted against U.S. and U.K. interests in
Dammam, Dharan, and Khobar, using clandestine Al Qaeda cells in Saudi Arabia.”49 According
to other accounts, Shaikh Abdullah bin Khalid welcomed dozens of so-called “Afghan Arab”
veterans of the anti-Soviet conflict in Afghanistan to Qatar in the early 1990s and operated a farm
where some of those individuals lived and worked over a period of several years.50
In January 1996, FBI officials narrowly missed an opportunity to capture Khalid Shaikh
Mohammed in Qatar, where he held a government job at Qatar’s Ministry of Electricity and
Water. Mohammed had been targeted for arrest in connection with an investigation of his
nephew—1993 World Trade Center bombing mastermind Ramzi Yousef.51 The FBI dispatched a
team to arrest Mohammed, but he fled Qatar before he could be detained. Some former U.S.

48 According to the 9/11 Commission Report, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed provided financial support to a co-conspirator
in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing while living in Qatar and later moved his family to Qatar at Shaikh Abdallah
bin Khalid Al Thani’s suggestion. The Report also states that Mohammed “claims that Sheikh Abdallah was not a
member, financier, or supporter of al Qaeda,” and that Mohammed admitted “that Abdallah underwrote a 1995 trip
[Mohammed] took to join the Bosnia jihad.” Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the
United States (The 9/11 Commission Report), pp. 73, 147-8, 488-9. The Emir named Shaikh Abdullah bin Khalid Al
Thani to the post of Minister of Interior in January 2001, a post he continues to hold. His deputy, Minister of State for
Interior Affairs Abdallah bin Nasir bin Khalifa Al Thani, currently serves as the official ministry liaison to foreign
governments, including the United States. James Risen and David Johnston, “Qaeda Aide Slipped Away Long Before
September 11 Attack,” New York Times, March 8, 2003; Josh Meyer and John Goetz, “Qatar’s Security Chief
Suspected of Having Ties to Al Qaeda,” Los Angeles Times, March 28, 2003.
49 Memorandum from the Department of Defense to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence partially reprinted in
Steven F. Hayes, “Case Closed,” Weekly Standard, November 24, 2003. Pentagon spokesmen responded to the
publication of the excerpts from the memorandum in the Hayes article by indicating that the memorandum was a
collection of intelligence data from various sources which did not constitute a finished intelligence product. It is unclear
if Bin Laden’s reported visit was related to preparations for the June 1996 attack on the Khobar Towers military
barracks in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 U.S. servicemen. Press reporting from the late 1990s cites a former U.S.
intelligence official as indicating that the “Qatari individual” who hosted Bin Laden was Abdullah Bin Khalid Al
Thani. See James Risen and Benjamin Weiser, “U.S. Officials Say Aid for Terrorists Came Through Two Persian Gulf
Nations,” New York Times, July 8, 1999.
50 James Risen and Benjamin Weiser, “U.S. Officials Say Aid for Terrorists Came Through Two Persian Gulf
Nations,” New York Times, July 8, 1999. James Risen and David Johnston, “Qaeda Aide Slipped Away Long Before
Sept. 11 Attack,” New York Times, March 8, 2003; Josh Meyer and John Goetz, “Qatar’s Security Chief Suspected of
Having Ties to Al Qaeda,” Los Angeles Times, March 28, 2003.
51 According to the 9/11 Commission Report (p. 147), Khalid Shaikh Mohammed “engaged in extensive international
travel during his tenure [at the Ministry of Electricity and Water]... much of it in furtherance of terrorist activity.”
Congressional Research Service
15

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

officials have since stated their belief that a high ranking member of the Qatari government
alerted Mohammed to the impending raid, allowing him to flee the country.52
More recent concerns regarding potential support for terrorism by prominent Qataris have
centered around claims that the late Abu Musab Al Zarqawi may have transited Qatar after
September 11, 2001, and benefitted from a safehouse and financial support provided by a member
of the ruling Al Thani family.53 Any discussions by Clinton Administration or Bush
Administration officials with the government of Qatar regarding these allegations have not been
made public. U.S. security officials working to ensure the safety and security of U.S. facilities,
citizens, and assets in Qatar have reported that their relationships with Ministry of Interior
officials, including serving Minister of State for Interior Affairs Shaykh Abdullah bin Nasir bin
Khalifah Al Thani, are positive and cooperative. The Emir reappointed Shaikh Abdullah bin
Khalid as Minister of Interior in April 2007 and did not alter his status in a 2008 expansion of the
cabinet or in a 2009 cabinet reshuffle.
Counterterrorism Support
The U.S. State Department has characterized Qatar’s counterterrorism support since September
11, 2001, as “significant,”54 but noted in its most recent report on terrorism issues that U.S.
officials “continued to strive for increased cooperation with the Qatari government on
information sharing.”55 Qatar’s Combating Terrorism Law, passed in March 2004, established
definitions of terrorism and terrorist financing and broadened the government’s power to detect
and prevent terrorist threats and to investigate and prosecute terrorists and their supporters. Qatar
also established the Qatar Authority for Charitable Activities (QACA) in March 2004 to monitor
the activities of all Qatari domestic and international charitable organizations, including
prominent organizations such as the Qatar Charitable Society and the Shaikh Eid bin Mohammed
Al Thani Charitable Association. All international financial charity transfers and project
verification fall within the jurisdiction of the new QACA.56 However, Article 24 of the law
establishing the Authority allows the Emir to grant an exemption from QACA oversight to any
organization at any time. Qatar’s central bank operates a financial intelligence unit (FIU) which
monitors activity in Qatar’s banking system and serves as a liaison office to similar units in the
United States and around the world.57

52 “The U.S. Attorney obtained an indictment against KSM in January 1996, but an official in the government of Qatar
probably warned him about it... In January 1996, well aware that U.S. authorities were chasing him, he left Qatar for
good and fled to Afghanistan.” 9/11 Commission Report, p. 73. The Report provides the following citation:
“Intelligence report, interrogation of KSM, July 23, 2003.”
53 Patrick E. Tyler “Intelligence Break Let Powell Link Iraq and Qaeda,” New York Times, February 3, 2003.
54 U.S. State Department - Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Country Reports on Terrorism, 2004, April
27, 2005.
55 U.S. State Department - Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Country Reports on Terrorism, 2008, April
30, 2009.
56 Author interview with QACA Chairman Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman bin Hasan Al Thani, Doha, Qatar, April
2005.
57 Meeting with QCB Governor Abdallah bin Khalid Al Attiyah, Doha, Qatar, April 2005.
Congressional Research Service
16

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Trade and Economic Relations
Trade between the United States and Qatar has increased since the 1990-1991 Gulf war. U.S.
exports to Qatar amounted to $2.7 billion in 2008 ($1.3 billion from January through June 2009),
consisting mainly of machinery and transport equipment. U.S. imports from Qatar, mainly fuel
and fertilizers, totaled $484.3 million during 2008 ($252.2 million from January through June
2009).58 Although the bulk of Qatar’s trade continues to be with a few European countries and
Japan, several U.S. firms, including ExxonMobil, Occidental Petroleum, and Pennzoil are active
in the development of Qatar’s oil and gas resources. ExxonMobil and an affiliate of Qatar
Petroleum are cooperating in the construction of a large LNG terminal (known as Golden Pass)
on the Texas coast that was damaged by Hurricane Ike and now is expected to come online in
mid-2010, subject to market conditions.59
Qatari Foreign Policy
A combination of factors—strains with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, shared resources with Iran, and
aspiration to a more influential role in world affairs—has contributed to Qatar’s independent
foreign policy approach since 1992. Although it was an active member of the allied coalition
formed during the 1990-1991 Gulf crisis and participated in post-war security arrangements,
Qatar adopted a conciliatory stance toward both Iraq and Iran before the other members of the
GCC. Qatar restored diplomatic ties with Saddam Hussein’s regime shortly after the 1991 Gulf
war, hosted visits by the Iraqi Foreign Minister, and called for relaxing economic sanctions
against Iraq.
Nevertheless, Qatar played an important logistics role in Operation Iraqi Freedom, providing
headquarters for the U.S. Central Command and pre-positioning facilities for U.S. tanks and
armored personnel carriers. At the same time, the Al Jazeera news network has been criticized by
some U.S. officials for being sensationalist in its coverage of U.S. military operations, for inciting
violence, and for airing terrorist and insurgent propaganda. On May 8, 2003, President Bush
hosted the Emir of Qatar at the White House, thanking him for his steadfast support during
Operation Iraqi Freedom and highlighting his role as a reformer. Qatar continues to serve as an
important base of operations for U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Qatar is a member of the
United Nations, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Conference, and the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC).60 Qatar is also a member of the Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC). Qatar was a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security
Council from 2005 to 2007 and used this position to support its assertive and independent
policies.61

58 United States International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, TradeStats Express - National
Trade Data, accessed November 3, 2009.
59 Jonty Rushforth and Kate Dourian, “Golden Pass LNG terminal due online mid2010: ExxonMobil,” Platts
Commodity News
, October 27, 2009.
60 The GCC is a sub-regional organization consisting of six states (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United
Arab Emirates, and Oman) bordering the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
61 Qatari diplomats attribute Qatar’s varied positions on Security Council issues to Qatar’s perceived need to represent
the positions of other Arab and Muslim states on specific issues as well as to pursue independent political initiatives.
Author interview with Qatari officials, Washington, DC, September 2006.
Congressional Research Service
17

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Current Qatari concerns focus on positioning the country with regard to the ongoing
confrontation between Iran and the international community, led by the United States, over
nuclear technology. Qatar also has sought to mediate regional conflicts and political disputes,
notably in Yemen, Lebanon, Sudan, and Gaza. Qatar’s willingness to maintain relations with Iran,
Syria, and Hamas has generated some criticism in the United States in recent years, such as
Senator John Kerry’s April 2009 admonition that “Qatar… can’t continue to be an American ally
on Monday that sends money to Hamas on Tuesday.”62 Qatari officials are quick to point out their
commitment to the general goal of regional peace and their support for U.S. military operations,
even as they maintain a conservative approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict. In June 2009, U.S.
Ambassador to Qatar Joseph LeBaron explained Qatar’s policy in the following terms: “I think of
it as Qatar occupying a space in the middle of the ideological spectrum in the Islamic world, with
the goal of having doors open to it across that ideological spectrum. They have the resources to
accomplish that vision, and that’s rare.”63 By all accounts, Qatar’s balancing strategy toward its
relationship with the United States and regional powers such as Iran and Saudi Arabia is likely to
persist, which may continue to place Doha and Washington on opposing sides of some important
issues even amid close cooperation on others.
Persian Gulf States
Bahrain
Territorial disputes marred Qatar’s relations with Bahrain from the early 19th century until
recently. Emigrant members of the Kuwait-based Utub tribe settled in Bahrain and northern Qatar
during the late 18th century. Subsequent political divergences led the leading families of Qatar and
Bahrain to jointly claim sovereignty over the Hawar island chain in the waters separating the two
states, along with the now-abandoned town of Zubarah on Qatar’s northwestern coast. The two
states engaged in a number of minor military skirmishes related to the claims over the years. On
March 16, 2001, after seven years of deliberations, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found
that Qatar has sovereignty over Zubarah and that Bahrain has sovereignty over the Hawar
islands.64 In June 2006, Qatar and Bahrain signed an agreement to construct a 28-mile causeway,
aptly named the “Friendship Bridge,” which will connect the two kingdoms.65 The project is
expected to take four and a half years to complete at an estimated cost of $3 billion.66 U.S. firm
KBR was selected in September 2008 as the project manager.
Saudi Arabia
Historically, Qatar has been deeply affected by political and economic conditions in neighboring
Saudi Arabia, particularly by changes in the Al Saud family’s control over the eastern province of
Al Hasa and the movements of bedouin tribes loyal to the Al Saud into and out of Qatar. During
Qatar’s pre-independence period, the Al Saud family long regarded Qatar as either tacitly or

62 US Fed News, “Sen. Kerry Speaks on Middle East to Brookings Institute,” April 2, 2009.
63 Carrie Sheffield, “Tiny nation, global clout,” Washington Times, June 24, 2009.
64 “The Islands Dispute - Resolved,” Middle East Economic Digest, September 28, 2001.
65 Reem Khalifa, “Persian Gulf States Bahrain and Qatar to be Linked Via Causeway,” Associated Press, June 11,
2006.
66 Saudi Economic Survey, “$3 billion Bahrain- Qatar Causeway on track,” September 6, 2009.
Congressional Research Service
18

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

explicitly under its jurisdiction, and various Qatari leaders maintained a degree of autonomy by
balancing relationships with the Al Saud and outside powers, such as the Ottoman and British
empires. Similarly, the Al Saud sought to preserve their influence on the Qatari peninsula via
relationships with Bedouin tribes and prominent Qataris, including leading businessmen and rival
members of the ruling Al Thani family. Oil concession negotiations provided the impetus to
firmly define the international boundary between Saudi Arabia and Qatar during the mid-20th
century, and an agreement was reached in 1965. An armed clash along the Saudi-Qatari border in
1992 led to the temporary suspension of the 1965 border agreement between the two countries.
The border was tentatively demarcated in 1999 following lengthy consultations via a joint
technical committee, and has been revisited as part of a recent rapprochement (see below).67
Saudi-Qatari relations are now cordial but remain marked by periodic indications of underlying
tension. In 1970, Saudi Arabia reportedly supported the former emir, Shaikh Khalifa, in his effort
to depose his predecessor. Some Qatari officials accused Saudi Arabia of supporting the
unsuccessful attempt in 1996 by dissident Al Thani family members to restore Shaikh Khalifa
following the palace coup that brought his son Hamad, the current emir, to power. From the mid-
1990s until recently, differences between the two capitals frequently were aired in state-affiliated
media; Al Jazeera’s treatment of Saudi Arabia in its programming proved to be the most
significant point of public contention between the two regimes. Saudi Arabia withdrew its
ambassador from Doha in September 2002 in protest of an Al Jazeera program that criticized the
kingdom’s founder, King Abdul Aziz Al Saud. Similarly, Saudi-owned media outlets in London
frequently criticized Qatar’s foreign policy and questioned the Qatari government’s positions on
issues of pan-Arab importance.
Differences between the two governments at times have moved beyond rhetoric, such as in July
2006 when the Saudi Arabian embassy in the United Arab Emirates faxed a notice to financial
backers of the $3.5 billion Dolphin undersea natural gas pipeline project objecting to construction
of the link between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The Saudi notice reportedly claimed that
the pipeline would pass through Saudi territorial waters without Saudi approval. Qatari and
Emirati officials downplayed the reports and stated their expectation that the project would not be
delayed. The pipeline was inaugurated in 2007 and continues to ship gas. Many observers
interpreted the step as an indication that Saudi Arabia may have been trying to reassert its
historically dominant role in relations among the smaller Gulf states and to underscore its
boundary and territorial water claims, some of which have been questioned by sources in the
UAE.68 Prior tension between Qatar and Saudi Arabia disrupted plans for a similar pipeline to
link Qatar with Kuwait.
A September 2007 visit to Riyadh by the Qatari emir opened a process of Saudi-Qatari
rapprochement. In December 2007, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz visited Doha for the GCC
summit and Saudi Arabia returned its ambassador to Qatar. A new technical committee was
established in 2008 following an agreement to finally demarcate the Saudi-Qatari border based on
the shared understanding between the two countries developed in the 1990s. Several exchanged
visits by Qatari and Saudi officials during 2008 and 2009 appear to indicate that core tensions
have been resolved. Nevertheless, some underlying tensions remain evident, particularly with
regard to Qatar’s activist foreign policy approach to some regional conflicts. In January 2009,

67 Agence France-Presse, “Riyadh and Doha Settle Longstanding Border Dispute,” June 7, 1999.
68 Platts Oilgram, “Qatar, UAE Play Down Dolphin Gas Pipeline Fears,” Volume 84, Number 175, September 13,
2006.
Congressional Research Service
19

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Saudi officials refused to attend a summit organized by Qatar in response to Israeli military
operations in Gaza, highlighting persistent differences of opinion and approach between the two
neighboring states. Qatari outreach to Iran also serves as a potential irritant in Qatari-Saudi affairs
to the extent that various figures in Saudi Arabia view Iran as a potential threat to the GCC and
support policies of reduced engagement or outright containment toward Iran.
Iraq
Relations between Qatar and the Iraqi government have been limited but friendly since 2003. In
August 2004, the Iraqi government closed Al Jazeera’s bureau office in Baghdad after accusing
the station of airing material that incited violence.69 Saddam Hussein’s wife, Sajida Khayrallah
Tilfa, and their daughter Hala at one time were alleged to live in Qatar at the private invitation of
former deputy prime minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani.70 In 2004, the U.S.
Treasury Department designated Sajida and Hala under Executive Order 13315 and
recommended that the U.N. Security Council 1518 Committee require that their assets be frozen
and transferred to the Development Fund for Iraq.71 In July 2006, Iraqi authorities listed
Saddam’s wife on its most wanted list for allegedly providing financial support to insurgents and
demanded her extradition to Iraq.72 Interpol has issued an international arrest warrant for Sajida
Khayrallah Tilfa and another of Saddam’s daughters, Raghad. Qatar and Iraq restored air service
links in September 2009 after an 18 year hiatus. Iraq has had an ambassador in Doha since March
2009. Qatar has not named an ambassador to Baghdad.
Iran
Iran and Qatar have maintained positive relations, in spite of periods when Iran’s relationships
with the Arab Gulf states otherwise foundered, such as during the Iran-Iraq war and tanker war of
the 1980s. Iran and Qatar share the large North Field/South Pars natural gas deposit off the Qatari
coast, and related cooperation and negotiations have built on historical commercial and family
ties between Qatari and Iranian Arabs. Qatari officials have met frequently with members of
Iran’s government in Iran and in Qatar in recent years, and the Qatari government regularly
advocates for increased dialogue between the GCC states and Iran. Qatar’s policy of referring to
the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf has led to diplomatic tension with Iran at times. In July
2006, Qatar was the sole member of the United Nations Security Council to oppose Security
Council resolution 1696, which called on Iran to “suspend all enrichment-related and
reprocessing activities, including research and development, to be verified by the IAEA,” and
proposed potential sanctions should Iran refuse.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad attended the December 2007 GCC summit in Doha at
the invitation of the Qatari emir. He also attended a January 2009 summit on Gaza sponsored by
the Qatari emir. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem has characterized Iran’s recent election dispute as “an
internal matter, because we must respect the right of each state to solve its own problems. The

69 Reuters, “Jazeera Says Iraq Closes its Baghdad Office,” September 4, 2004.
70 Ian Mather, “Money No Object for Dictator in the Mother of all Trials,” Scotland on Sunday, December 12, 2004;
and Kim Sengupta, “What Happened To The Husseins?” The Independent (UK), August 21, 2007.
71 U.S. Department of the Treasury, “JS-1242: Treasury Designates 16 Family Members of the Former Iraqi Regime,
Submits 191 Iraqi Entities to United Nations,” March 18, 2004.
72 Associated Press, “Saddam’s Relatives Sought,” July 3, 2006.
Congressional Research Service
20

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Iranians will decide how to resolve their problems among themselves, and I am certain that they
will bypass this crisis.”73 The Chief of Staff of the Qatari Armed Forces Major General Hamad
bin Ali al Attiyah travelled to Iran in July 2009 and held security talks with Iranian defense
officials, including the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. Iran’s
Ambassador to Qatar has stated that Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad plans to visit Tehran to conclude a
number of memoranda of understanding; Qatar has not verified the reported plans. Emir Hamad
bin Khalifa visited Tehran in November 2009, but no new agreements, commitments, or
initiatives were announced.
Arab-Israeli Issues and Lebanon
Although Qatar and Israel do not have formal diplomatic ties, Qatar has been in the forefront of
Arab-Israeli talks on expanding economic ties during periods of progress in the peace process.
Qatar’s position regarding the Arab boycott of Israel is governed by the September 1994 decision
by the GCC to terminate enforcement of the indirect boycotts, while maintaining, at least in
theory, the primary boycott. Qatar has hosted meetings of multilateral Arab-Israeli working
groups. Then-Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres visited in April 1996.
Qatar agreed to the establishment of an Israeli trade mission in Doha, Qatar’s capital city,
although relations cooled after the peace process slowed down in 1996. Following the outbreak of
the second Palestinian uprising in 2000, Qatar claimed to have shut down the office; however,
according to Qatari officials, it continued to operate at a very low level.74 Prior to the start of
Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Israeli Foreign Ministry closed the trade mission in Doha and
evacuated three Israeli envoys and their families. Israel promised to reopen the office after the
war.75 Despite pressure from some other Arab states, Qatar hosted the fourth annual Middle
East/North Africa Economic Conference (MENAC) in November 1997, which brought together
Arab and Israeli business and political leaders to discuss regional economic cooperation.
In May 2003, Qatari and Israeli Foreign Ministers met in Paris to discuss ways of reviving the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The meeting took place only a week after the Emir’s visit to
Washington, prompting speculation that President Bush encouraged Qatari officials to take a
more active role in the peace process. Shaikh Hamad has acknowledged that Qatar is keen to play
a role in encouraging negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, but that it is too early to
open full diplomatic ties with Israel. Analysts regard Qatar’s exchanges with Israel, though
limited, as broadly in accord with U.S. efforts to foster an expanding dialogue between Israel and
Arab states.
Qatar offered $50 million in financial support to the then-Hamas-led Palestinian Authority
government and has hosted Hamas officials for numerous talks and consultations since January
2006. In October 2006, the Qatari government launched an ultimately unsuccessful round of
shuttle diplomacy aimed at resolving differences between Palestinian factions and securing the
release of kidnaped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by his Hamas captors.76 Israeli Foreign Minister

73 Ibid.
74 Meeting with the Qatari Minister of State, Ahmed Abdullah Al Mehmood, January 12, 2003.
75 “Israel Shuts Qatar Mission, To Reduce Staff in Egypt, Jordan, Mauritania,” Yedi’ot Aharanot, March 3, 2003, OSC
Document GMP20030311000208.
76 Daily Star (Beirut), “Qatari Mediation Fails to Bridge Hamas-Fatah Gap,” October 11, 2006.
Congressional Research Service
21

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Tzipi Livni declined a Qatari invitation to participate in an October 2006 democracy conference
in Doha because of the presence of Hamas representatives, but an Israeli delegation participated
in the conference, led by lower-ranking Foreign Ministry officials.77 Israeli Deputy Prime
Minister Shimon Peres visited Qatar in February 2007 and declined the Emir’s reported
suggestion that Israel negotiate directly with Hamas.78
In response to Israel’s military operations in Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009, Qatar
ordered the Israeli trade mission in Doha to close. Qatar also hosted an emergency summit on
Gaza that was attended by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and Hamas political leader
Khaled Meshaal. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visited Doha in late August
2009 in search of Qatari support in Palestinian unity negotiations and as part of a broader effort to
build a unified Arab position on the question of Israeli commitments under the Roadmap. In
August, Qatar offered $10 million in cash payments via the Hamas Administration in Gaza to
support thousands of unemployed Palestinians, including fishermen facing difficulty in relation to
Israel’s blockade of Gaza’s coastal waters. Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal visited Doha
on September 7 and met with Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani. In March 2009,
Qatar pledged $150 million for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip at the international donors
conference in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.
The outbreak of violence between Hezbollah and other Lebanese factions in early 2008 prompted
direct diplomatic intervention from the Qatari government and other Arab states. Fearing
continued violence and possibly another civil war, the Arab League and the Qatari government
facilitated negotiations between rival Lebanese factions in Doha in May 2008. In the resulting
“Doha Agreement,” the factions committed to end the violence, fill the vacant presidency, arrange
for a power-sharing agreement in the cabinet, and hold parliamentary elections in 2009 based on
updated electoral laws. In a statement following the negotiations, then-Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice stated that the Bush Administration viewed the agreement as a “positive step
toward resolving the current crisis.” Qatari intervention reportedly was perceived by other Arab
states as a challenge to traditional patterns of regional leadership, particularly by Saudi Arabia.79

77 Agence France Presse, “Livni Shuns Qatar Conference, but Israel There,” October 29, 2006.
78 Danna Harman, “Tiny Qatar Vies for Big Regional Role,” Christian Science Monitor, February 6, 2007.
79 See CRS Report R40054, Lebanon: Background and U.S. Relations, by Casey L. Addis.
Congressional Research Service
22

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Appendix A. Qatar in Brief
Area:

11,437 sq km (slightly smal er than Connecticut)
Population (July 2008):
833,285
Literacy:
89%
Religion (2004 Census):
77.5% Muslim, Christian 8.5%, other 14%
Ethnic Groups:
40% Arab, 18% Pakistani, 18% Indian, 10% Iranian, 14% other
GDP (2008):
$110,700 per capita (based on $91.33 billion GDP PPP)
Inflation (2008):
15.1%
Oil Reserves (2008):
27.09 billion barrels
Gas Reserves (2008):
25.63 trillion cubic meters
Armed Forces:
11,800 active personnel, 30 main battle tanks, 18 fighter aircraft
Sources: The United States Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, September 2009; Armed forces data -
International Institute for Strategic Studies, Military Balance 2008, February 2009.
Congressional Research Service
23

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Appendix B. Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members
of Qatar
Emir
Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
Heir Apparent
Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
Prime Minister
Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr Al Thani
Deputy Prime Minister
Abdal ah bin Hamad Al Attiyah
Foreign Minister
Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr Al Thani
Energy Minister
Abdal ah bin Hamad Al Attiyah
Interior Minister
Abdal ah bin Khalid Al Thania
Finance Minister
Youssef Hussein Al Kamal
Ambassador to the United States
Ali Fahad Al Shahwany Al Hajri
a. Minister of State for Interior Affairs Abdal ah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani conducts the official business
of the Ministry of Interior, including serving as liaison to foreign governments and security services.



Congressional Research Service
24


Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Figure B-1. Map of Qatar

Source: U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, November 2009.




Congressional Research Service
25

Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations

Author Contact Information

Christopher M. Blanchard

Analyst in Middle Eastern Affairs
cblanchard@crs.loc.gov, 7-0428


Congressional Research Service
26