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IN THE NAME OF GOD THE MOST COMPASSIONATE THE MOST MERCIFUL Honourable Brothers, Members of the Advisory Council.
In the Name of God and with His blessing, I declare the 29th Ordinary Session open for the deliberations of your esteemed Council
Brothers, 
It is a source of happiness to me that we meet here once again as we do every year to open the deliberations of this Council which represents a fundamental pillar of rule and of the State. The principle of “Shura”, as we have often stressed, is one of the basics of our policy which is aimed at the realization of responsible popular participation in the process of decision making and following up its implementation. It is also the proper framework and correct basic step to achieve that end through constitutional institutions to establish the state of law and institutions that we seek. Brothers, This annual meeting is a good opportunity to review together what has been achieved and the setbacks we have encountered on the domestic sphere and the events and changes taking place in our region and the world and their impact on our country and Arab nation and the relevance of all that to the regional and international parameter of which we are an active part. This session of your esteemed Council is convened at a time when the world is on the threshold of a new century witnessing and will witness comprehensive and fast developments and changes that differ in their patterns from previous ones throughout the years and past centuries.. We are determined, with the aid of God, to belong to this new century through the adoption of all means of advancement and progress, and updating of our educational system, our legislative, executive and judicial powers and constitutional system as well as our commercial, civil and administrative legislation though without compromising our values and traditions and sublime Islamic principles. This firm resolve on building our political and constitutional institutions and updating our governmental and administrative bodies goes hand in hand with the continued efforts and programs through which we aim at realizing the comprehensive development to which we attach paramount importance. 
In this respect, our strategy is directed towards strengthening and diversifying the economy, and raising the standard of social services and enhancing the role and the participation of the private sector in the development process, while maintaining the delicate balance between our development priorities and the social considerations relating to them. For the economic conditions, especially the financial ones that are connected to the prices of oil and gas and their products in the world markets, always reflect, positively or negatively, on our country, as they do on all producers and consumers of this vital substance. The international economic cycle has become closely interconnected, and our economy is part of this cycle We are, thanks be to God, about to surpass the negative impacts of the sharp fall in oil prices in world markets about two years ago. Now, we see the prices that have begun to touch the highest levels they had reached many years ago. However, that should not make us abandon the factor of wariness and caution when estimating the size of our revenues and the levels of our spending. On the contrary, we have to remain keen on achieving the balance between the revenues and expenditure. The oil prices remain related first and foremost to the market factors and fluctuations. The rise we see today may turn into a fall tomorrow. Therefore, we have to monitor such developments very closely, and plan our economy according to our long term investment and development priorities to maintain stability and steadiness and protect our economy from shocks. The Qatari economy has, with the grace of God, realized marked achievements in establishing large industrial projects and expanding them, some of which have begun to yield the desired results, especially the projects of industries based on the natural resources of gas and oil that the Almighty has bestowed upon us. Our future concentration will be, beside the basic industries, on the medium and light industries to contribute to the integration of our development march in all spheres. Brothers, You undoubtedly agree with me that the most significant event our country experienced this year was the conclusion of the International Court of Justice of its deliberations on our border dispute with the sisterly State of Bahrain, by hearing the oral pleadings of the two parties prior to issuing its final decision which is expected to be before the end of this year. As you know, brothers, the State of Qatar has made exhausting efforts to reach a peaceful settlement of this dispute which has continued for over half a century. The goal of Qatar was not only to get its legitimate lawful rights but also to put an end to an odd situation that has affected the fraternal relations between two peoples who have always been bound by the closest and strongest brotherly relations. Keen on restoring these relations to their natural level without any blemishes, Qatar and Bahrain went to the International Court of Justice for a solution of this dispute in accordance with the provisions of international law. The Qatari-Bahraini dispute is not a conventional border conflict on a number of meters here and there. Its oddness, which makes it a peculiar situation as I have said, specially in our Gulf situations and traditions, is that it is within our territorial waters, i.e. inside our home; at a few meters distance from our coast lie Hawar Islands which the British authorities granted in 1939 to Bahrain with an unjust decision that the British government had no authority to issue, and was based on political and economic considerations represented in the oil interests, and not on any legal consideration. We now look forward in all faith to the International Court of Justice, hoping that it restores the right to its true owner, and that its decision opens a new era in the relations of the two countries and their fraternal peoples, and become a real support for peace and stability in our Gulf region. Members of the Advisory Council, We have all followed up the valiant Palestinian uprising and the stand up of the citizens in the occupied territories against the attempts to violate the sanctity of the first of the two Kiblas and the third of the Holy Shrines, which proved beyond any doubt that Holy Jerusalem is the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and that the Arabs and the Muslims will never relinquish it. The unarmed Palestinian people confronted the Israeli military might with incomparable valour in defence of their rights, dignity and what they hold sacred. It was only natural that the Israeli violence and its provocative practices in the occupied territories would enflame the sentiments of the Arab and Islamic nation, and excite the public opinion in them to come out in anger and rejection of these blatant aggressions.
We stress once again our firm position that peace in the Middle East can only be achieved through a just, comprehensive and permanent settlement involving complete withdrawal of Israel from all Arab territories which it occupied in 1967, including the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, and the regaining of the Palestinian people of their legitimate national rights, foremost of which is their right to establish their independent state on their national soil with Holy Jerusalem as its capital. In this respect, we call for giving the European Union a bigger role in the Middle East Peace Process, due to its great and effective weight that can not be neglected or ignored. Brothers, While speaking about the Arab-Israeli conflict I must laud the major role played by the valiant Lebanese resistance led by Hizbullah in liberating the Lebanese territories from Israeli occupation and forcing Israel to withdraw from Southern Lebanon and its Western Beqaa. The Lebanese resistance has proved that the military machine, however developed and advanced it might be, cannot overcome a people having the will, determination and courage to resist and confront steadfastly to regain their usurped legitimate rights. We also watch the bitter situation under which the brotherly Iraqi people still live, and the continuation of their harsh suffering and cruel conditions which stir bitterness and sorrow in us. That is why we call for the necessity of coming out of this crisis and finding appropriate solutions for it, out of our conviction in the inevitability of a possible political solution for this crisis, that guarantees maintaining the integrity of Iraq, its entity, its territory and people, and averting further risks and pains in the whole region. Brothers, On the 12th of next month, Qatar hosts the 9th Islamic Summit Conference, which convenes in difficult and complex Arab, regional and international circumstances. While welcoming our guests, the leaders of the Islamic world, in their second home, Qatar, we pray to the Almighty to bestow success on our mission to emerge from this conference with resolutions that would contribute to furthering the march of joint Islamic action and achieve the interests and goals of the Muslim nation. Brothers, Members of the Advisory Council, Our faith in Allah and the guidance of His Holy Book and the Sunna of His Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him, fills us with trust in ourselves and determination to provide a better living and brighter future for our people and our coming generations. Let us work together in a strong and lively spirit. Let us double our efforts and dedicate all resources for this country, its prosperity, invincibility and glory. I beseech God to bestow success on us, and lead our steps along the path of good and well-being. May the peace and blessing of God be upon you.
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