Doha, 27 Aug. 2019 (QP)

 

Qatar Petroleum has entered into agreements with Total for a share of exploration and production rights in two blocks offshore the Republic of Namibia.

Under the agreements, which are subject to customary regulatory approvals by the government of Namibia and approvals by the partners in the blocks, Qatar Petroleum will hold a 30% participating interest in Block 2913B, with Total (the Operator) holding a 40% participating interest. The other partners in the blockare Impact Oil (20%), and Namcor(10%). A first exploration well is scheduled to be drilled in the first half of next year.

Also under the agreements, Qatar Petroleum will hold a 28.33% participating interest in Block 2912, with Total (the Operator) holding a 37.78%participating interest. The other partners in the block are Impact Oil (18.89%)and Namcor(15%).

Commenting on the agreements, His Excellency Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, and President & CEO of Qatar Petroleum, said: “We are pleased to expand our global exploration activities into Namibia, which further strengthens our presence in Africa. Working on these prospective frontier blocks with our valuable long-term partner, Total, will give another boost to our efforts towards implementing our international growth strategy.”

His Excellency Minister Al-Kaabi added: “We look forward to working together with the Namibian Government and with our partners in these blocks to achieve positive results that meet the interests of all parties.”

Blocks 2913B and 2912 sit adjacent to one another offshore Namibia. Block 2913B is 2,600-3,300metersdeep with an area of about 8,215 square kilometers,while Block 2912 is 3,300-3,800meters deep with an area of about 7,813 square kilometers.

Doha, 24 August 2019

Vodafone Qatar announced today that all Vodafone SIM cards are now 5G-ready. All Vodafone customers, on any of its prepaid or postpaid mobile plans, have the chance to experience the benefits of high-speed 5G mobile connectivity.

The benefits of Vodafone 5G are exceptional; ultra-fast network speeds and low latency enables faster, seamless connectivity. Customers can stream a major sporting event with no delay and download a full HD film in mere seconds.

Vodafone customers can use 5G services on either of the compatible devices currently available in Vodafone stores, the Huawei Mate 20 x 5G and Xiaomi Mi 5G.

Vodafone Qatar Chief Operating Officer, Diego Camberos, said: “Vodafone Qatar is delighted to extend to all of our loyal customers a new way to experience the Internet with 5G mobile network connectivity. This newest achievement marks yet another milestone in Vodafone Qatar’s commitment to meeting the growing demand for digital innovation while continuously transforming the consumer experience using the potential of 5G.”

Since switching on its 5G network a year ago, Vodafone Qatar has been leading the deployment of 5G across the country. Vodafone Qatar’s 5G network is live in dozens of residential locations across Qatar including Al Waab, Abu Hamour, Al Azizya, Al Mamoura, Al Rayyan, Umm Salal Muhammed, Khartiyat, Al Hilal, Muntazah, Muraykh and Al Sadd.

For more information on 5G, please visit https://www.vodafone.qa/en/network/5G.

Riyadh, 26 August 2019 (Anadolu News)

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have reiterated their cooperation in the war against Houthi rebels in Yemen and called for dialogue to address the causes of violence in the southern city of Aden.

The UAE has been the focus of anger in Yemen after UAE-backed separatist forces took control of all government military camps and the presidential palace in Aden after clashes with government forces.

The violence has triggered calls inside the Yemeni government for expelling the UAE from the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels since 2015.

"The governments of both the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia reaffirm the continuation of all their political, military, relief, and development efforts with the participation of coalition countries that rose to support the Yemeni people," they said in a joint statement on Monday.

The statement rejected and condemned "the accusations and defamation campaigns targeting the UAE" over the recent violence in Aden.

The two countries called for a speedy dialogue in the Saudi city of Jeddah to "address the causes and repercussions of events taking place in some southern provinces."

Yemen plunged into a civil war in 2014 when Iran-backed Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The ongoing violence has devastated Yemen’s basic infrastructure, prompting the UN to describe the situation as "one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times".

Ankara, 26 August 2019 (Anadolu News)

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi told him that situation in Jammu and Kashmir was “under control”. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, Trump said: “We spoke last night about Kashmir. The Prime Minister [Modi] really feels he has it [Kashmir] under control.”

Trump said that he shares good relations with leaders of Pakistan and India. “I am here... I have very good relationship with both of them but I think they can do it themselves,” the U.S. president said.

“They [India] speak with Pakistan and they will be able to do something [about Kashmir] that will be very good,” Trump added. Trump earlier offered mediation on Kashmir between New Delhi and Islamabad.

Ever since India scrapped special provisions guaranteed to the disputed Jammu and Kashmir under the Indian constitution, Pakistan has sought international intervention on Kashmir under the UN Security Council resolutions.

Jammu and Kashmir is under near-complete lockdown since Aug. 5 after India scrapped the special provisions, according to several rights group, including the Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

India blocked communications and imposed strict restrictions to thwart any rebellion while political leaders in the region have been detained as the right groups repeatedly called on New Delhi to lift the restrictions and release political detainees.

U.S. also had recently expressed concerned about detentions in Kashmir and urged respect for individual rights and discussions with those in affected communities.

India’s Premier Modi, on his part, said that issues between India and Pakistan were “bilateral”. “[We] don’t want to give pain to any third country. We can discuss and resolve all issues bilaterally,” Modi told reporters.

“India and Pakistan were together before 1947 and I am confident that we can discuss our problems and solve them together," he added.

Modi is attending the G7 summit on a personal invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron.

26 August 2019 (AlJazeera)

Houthi rebels on Monday claimed to have attacked a military target in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh a day after the Yemeni rebels fired ballistic missiles at an airport.

According to a spokesperson for the Houthis, who have been battling more than four years of a devastating military campaign led by Saudi Arabia, the attack was carried out with an armed drone. "The Houthis have said they have targeted a military place, but they haven't given more details about the target," Al Jazeera's Mohammed al Attab said from the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah.

Saudi Arabia has denied there was an attack by the rebels.

Monday's incident is the latest in a spate of cross-border missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi air bases and other facilities in recent months.

On Sunday, the Houthis fired10 Badr-1 ballistic missiles at Jizan airport in Saudi Arabia. They claimed the missiles had killed dozens, but the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said that it had intercepted and destroyed at least six missiles.

Last week, a drone attack caused a fire in a remote Saudi oil and gas field. The Saudi coalition has responded to the Houthi drone attacks with air raids on the group's targets in Sanaa and other areas. Houthis control most urban centres in Yemen.

Yemen's latest conflict broke out in late 2014 when the Houthis seized control of much of the country, including the capital Sanaa. The war escalated in March 2015 when a Saudi-UAE-led coalition launched a ferocious air campaign against the rebels in a bid to restore the internationally-recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Riyadh has accused Tehran of supplying the Houthis with missiles and drones used in the attacks on Saudi cities, a charge both Iran and the group reject. The Houthis say they manufacture their own weapons and are fighting a corrupt system.

Since the start of the conflict, tens of thousands of civilians and combatants have been killed and as many as 85,000 children may have starved to death in what the United Nations has described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Islamabad, 26 August 2019 (Daily Dawn)

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday, reiterating Pakistan’s complete support to eight million Kashmiris in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) for their indigenous struggle for their fundamental rights and self-determination, observed that Modi had committed a huge and historical blunder, providing a historic opportunity for Kashmiris to get freedom from the illegal Indian occupation.

In his televised address to the nation, the prime minister said the whole Pakistani nation and its government would go to the last extent to support the oppressed Kashmiris.

“We will go to every extent … will stand with the Kashmiris till the last breath,” he said, adding “I ask every Pakistani to come out of their homes, offices, workplaces every week for half an hour and on the upcoming Friday from 1200 hours to 1230 hours, to express solidarity with the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir.”

He again warned that if India resorted to aggression, it would have far-reaching impacts on the entire world as the both countries possessed nuclear arms.

He said Pakistan’s Kashmir policy was at a decisive point and he had apprised the world leaders about the plight of the 80 million Kashmiri people in the IoJ&K.

Biarritz (France), 26 Aug 2019 (AlJazeera)

Iran's top diplomat has held talks with France's President Emmanuel Macron at the sidelines of the G7 summit following a surprise invite to the gathering. US President Donald Trump has said it was "too soon" for him to meet Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif,

Mohammad Javad Zarif landed on Sunday in the French seaside town of Biarritz, where leaders of the G7 nations - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States - were meeting to discuss a host of issues, including global trade, climate change and Iran's nuclear programme.

Zarif immediately went into a three-and-a-half-hour meeting with French foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, according to Reuters news agency.

He spent half an hour with Macron, the second meeting in a week after the two leaders had met in Paris on Friday.

Zarif did not meet Trump, who was also at the G7 meeting. "Iran's active diplomacy in pursuit of constructive engagement continues," Zarif said in a post on social media. "Road ahead is difficult. But worth trying."

His plane departed moments after the whirlwind meeting ended.

An official in Macron's office told AFP the discussions were "positive".

Surprise invite

Macron decided to invite the Iranian foreign minister to Biarritz after hosting a dinner of G7 leaders on Saturday night, a French official told AFP. The invite had been made "in agreement with the United States", the official added, contradicting a claim by the White House that Trump had not been informed of Zarif's arrival.

Macron had also hosted Zarif for talks in Paris on the eve of the summit on Friday. Following the meeting, Zarif said the French president's suggestions were positive for Iran but that a lot more work was needed on the matter.

“President Macron made some suggestions last week to President (Hassan) Rouhani and we believe they are moving in the right direction, although we are not definitely there yet,” said in an interview with AFP after the interview.
Zarif -
Zarif's plane departed moments after the whirlwind meeting ended [Regis Duvignau/Reuters]

Macron, the host of this year's G7 summit, has been leading efforts to defuse tensions triggered by US President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of an international agreement that offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.

After its exit, Washington reimposed punishing sanctions on Iran, including on its oil and banking sectors.

While the nuclear deal's remaining signatories - China, France, Germany, Russia, and the UK - oppose the US move, they have struggled to protect Iran from US sanctions.

The French president is urging Trump to offer some sort of relief to Iran, according to Reuters and AFP, such as lifting sanctions on oil sales to China and India, or establishing a new credit line to enable exports.
Relief from 'maximum pressure'

A French diplomat told reporters last week that a "pause" in Trump's maximum pressure campaign against Tehran was necessary to get Iran back to the negotiating table.

Trump has said he wants to force Iran into new talks that would include its ballistic missile programme and support for regional armed groups. But Iran has rejected that, saying Washington could not be trusted.

A year after the US exit, Tehran began scaling back some of its commitments under the nuclear accord.

In July, Washington imposed sanctions on Zarif, blocking any property or interest he had in the US. Zarif said he had none.

US officials said the censure was meant to send a "clear message" to Iran as tensions further escalated over alleged Iranian aggressions in the Strait of Hormuz, a significant trade route in the Gulf.

Al Jazeera's Assed Baig, reporting from Tehran, said Zarif's visit to the G7 summit highlighted the interest of Iranian politicians - in particular, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani - in salvaging the 2015 nuclear accord.

"[The negotiations are taking place] to save the reputations of those political leaders in Iran that backed this nuclear deal," he said from Tehran.

Zarif's unannounced visit played out against apparent divisions between Trump and Macron on how to deal with Iran.

Earlier on Sunday, Macron told LCI television that the G7 leaders had agreed on "what we wanted to say jointly on Iran".

Officials from the French presidency told news agencies the G7 leaders had discussed the issue over dinner on Saturday evening and agreed that Macron should hold talks and pass on messages to Iran.

Iran foreign minister makes surprise visit to G7 summit (2:12)

Trump denied that shortly afterwards. Asked if he had signed off on a statement that Macron intends to give on behalf of the G7 on Iran, he said: "I haven't discussed this. No, I haven't."

He added: "We'll do our own outreach, but, you know, I can't stop people from talking. If they want to talk, they can talk."
France's interests

Macron later played down his earlier remarks, saying there was no formal mandate from the G7 leaders.

"Yesterday, we had a discussion from which two priorities emerged. First of all, no member of the G7 wants Iran to ever get a nuclear weapon. Second, all members of the G7 are deeply committed to stability and peace in the region and therefore want to avoid actions that could compromise that," he said.

"The G7 is an informal group. There is no formal mandate given to anyone in this context. We will each continue to take initiatives to reach our two goals, that's what's important. The outcome of yesterday's discussions is that we will continue to all act, each in their own way."

Bessma Momani, professor of political science at the University of Waterloo in Canada, said France had vested interests in trying to defuse tensions between the US and Iran.

Several French companies, including car giants Peugeot and Citroen and oil firm Total, pulled out of multibillion-dollar deals with Iran following the US sanctions.

In addition to the economic interests, "Macron feels as if he is one of the sole champions of the liberal international order," Momani told Al Jazeera.

"I would even argue that perhaps Macron feels that he can sort of get some mileage out of the so-called 'bromance' he once had with Donald Trump ... But it won't be easy."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the meeting between Zarif and Macron, saying it was worth taking every opportunity to avoid further escalation of the standoff over Iran's nuclear programme.

She said G7 leaders had "good, constructive discussion" on the subject on Saturday evening.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

Doha, 23 August 2019

Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of State of Qatar received recently a copy of the credentials of Kithsiri Athulathmudali, Ambassador of the Republic of Sri Lanka.

AlMuraikhi wished Ambassador success in his duties, assuring him of all support to upgrade bilateral relations between the two friendly countries to closer cooperation in various fields.

Present on the occasion were a number of Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials.

23 Aug. 2019 (AlJazeera News)

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has inducted a locally built air-defence system into the country's missile defence network at an unveiling ceremony in the capital, Tehran.

The display of the new system, Bavar-373, on Tuesday came amid heightened tensions with the United States, which last year unilaterally withdrew from a multinational nuclear deal signed between world powers and Iran and reimposed crippling sanctions on it.

Iranian officials have previously called Bavar, which means "believe" in Farsi, the country's first domestically produced long-range missile defence system.

Iran began production after the purchase of Russia's S-300 system was suspended in 2010 due to international sanctions that have barred it from importing many weapons. It installed the stalled S-300 system in March 2016 following several years of delays in the wake of the now-crumbling 2015 nuclear deal.

Speaking at the ceremony, Rouhani said the mobile surface-to-air system was "better than S-300 and close to [more advanced] S-400."

With a range of more than 200km, Iran's official IRNA news agency said the long-range missile system is suited to the country's geography.
'We cannot respond with logic'

In his speech, Rouhani also struck a muscular tone on dealings with the US, saying that "talks are useless" over the nuclear deal.

"Now that our enemies do not accept logic, we cannot respond with logic," Rouhani said.

He added: "When the enemy launches a missile against us, we cannot give a speech and say: 'Mr. Rocket, please do not hit our country and our innocent people. Rocket-launching sir, if you can please hit a button and self-destroy the missile in the air.'"

Iran shot down a US Global Hawk surveillance drone with a surface-to-air missile in June for allegedly violating its airspace, a claim that the US denies.

Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif used a positive tone over French proposals to salvage the nuclear deal, which was signed by France, the United Kingdom, Germany China, Russia and the European Union, in addition to the US.

In an effort to prop up the agreement, French President Emmanuel Macron offered on Wednesday to either soften sanctions on Iran or provide a compensation mechanism "to enable the Iranian people to live better" in return for full compliance with the pact.

Speaking at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Zarif on Thursday said he was looking forward to having a serious conversation during a meeting with Macron in Paris the next day.

"There are proposals on the table, both from the French and the Iranian side, and we are going to work on those proposals tomorrow," he said.
'Don't expect us to remain quiet'

Zarif added, however, Iran would not tolerate US interference in the Gulf, warning against Washington's efforts to create a security mission to guard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital gateway for global oil supplies.

The UK, Australia and Bahrain are the only countries to have joined the US mission so far.

"It's clear that the US' intention ... (of having a) naval presence in the Persian Gulf is to counter Iran," Zarif said. "Don't expect us to remain quiet when somebody comes to our waters and threatens us."

Suspected attacks on several commercial ships in the Gulf in recent months have heightened turmoil in a region already on edge amid the acrimonious standoff between the US and Iran over the latter's nuclear programme. The US has blamed Iran for the suspected attacks on the vessels over Tehran's denials.

In his speech in Oslo, Zarif said Iran would not start a war in the Gulf but it would defend itself.

"Will there be a war in the Persian Gulf? I can tell you that we will not start the war ... but we will defend ourselves."

Hassan Ahmadian, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Tehran, said the French proposals went beyond the 2015 agreement.

"What we hear is that France wants to discuss Iran's regional policy and its ballistic missile system as part of the debate over the nuclear deal," he told Al Jazeera.

"Iran in the past rejected discussing these issues with the United States," he said. "Therefore, it is a long shot for the Iranian strategic community to conclude discussions on these will be beneficial to Iran."

Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani, Deputy Amir of State of Qatar received this morning at his Amiri Diwan office, Eva Bolano, outgoing Ambassador of Kingdom of Sweden to the State of Qatar who called on Deputy Amir to greet him on the occasion of the end of her tenure in the country.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani granted the outgoing Ambassador the Decoration of Al Wajbah in recognition of her role in enhancing bilateral relations, wishing her success in her future assignments and further progress and prosperity for relations between the two countries.

For her part, Sweden Ambassador expressed thanks and appreciation to The Amir,The Deputy Amir and to the State's officials for the cooperation she received during her term of office.