The Shura Council State of Qatar

The Shura Council held its regular weekly meeting today under the chairmanship of H.E. Mr. Ahmed Bin Abdulla Bin Zaid Al-Mahmoud, the Speaker of the Shura Council.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Council discussed the draft law on Granting Qatar Fuel Company (Waqood) the Concession for Selling, Marketing, Transporting and Distributing Gas and Petroleum Products. 

The Council decided to refer the draft law to the Finance and Economic Affairs Committee to study it and submit a report thereon to the Council.

The Council also discussed the report of the Public Services and Utilities Committee on a draft law Regulating the Ownership of Dangerous Animals and Creatures.

The draft law provides for prohibiting the ownership, or importing or exporting or trading of dangerous animals and creatures without a license from the competent entity. 

It as well prohibits taking, walking around, or hiking with any of the dangerous animals and creatures in public places. The draft law stipulates the penalties for violators of its provisions.

After discussion, the Council approved the draft law and decided to forward its recommendations to the esteemed Government.

The Speaker of the Shura Council briefed the members of the Council on the details of the Memorandum of Understanding which he signed last Thursday with H.  E. Mr. Pedro Roque, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. 

He further explained that it comes within the efforts of the Council to develop parliamentary cooperation with the parliamentary groups with weight on regional and international levels, for many benefits that return either to the Shura Council or to our relations with various countries of the world, especially in the field of parliamentary diplomacy.

H. E. Mr. Ahmed Bin Abdulla Bin Zaid Al- Mahmoud pointed out that the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean provides for coordination between the Council and the Assembly on important issues concerning the relations between them, for taking measures to contribute to unifying positions of the two sides towards these issues,  and for cooperation in meetings, conferences and seminars and for unifying positions of the two sides in international forums and to exchange experiences. 

It also provides for taking concrete initiatives to promote peace and security in the region and in the world and to work to accomplish the goals of the United Nations, particularly those related to sustainable development, the fight against poverty, strive for the proper implementation of the principles of international law and of the United Nations, which aim at achieving an international community free of wars, the threat or use of force and in which peace and security prevail.

 In addition, the MoU provides for exchange of information between the Council and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean in legislative, legal and political matters.

The Council was also briefed on the report on the participation of the delegation of the Shura Council in the Global Conference of Parliamentarians for the Evaluation held in Colombo in Sri Lanka.

At the close of the meeting the Speaker of the Shura Council briefed the Council on yesterday's meeting with H. E. Mr. Duarte Pacheco, the Chairman of the Group of the European parliaments, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in the IPU and the accompanying delegation.

 He explained that the meeting discussed cooperation relations between the Council and the group that includes all the parliaments of European countries, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and ways to enhance and develop them in various fields. 

The meeting as well reviewed the current arrangements for convening the 140 Meeting of the General Assembly of IPU and the Related Meetings. 

H. E. Mr. Duarte Pacheco praised the progress made in these arrangements, the keenness to complete these arrangements in the best possible way and to provide all that would ensure the success of the 140th Meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union