Qatar gives 100 million dollars for US hurricane relief

news.yahoo.com ^ | 1 hour, 26 minutes ago Sept 3, 05

[Esther Ruth]

Qatar gives 100 million dollars for US hurricane relief 1 hour, 26 minutes ago

DOHA (AFP) - The Gulf emirate of Qatar announced it will donate 100 million dollars to relief efforts for the US victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The aid was granted by Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani "in the name of the government and the Qatari people," the official news agency QNA said.

Quoting a foreign ministry spokesman, QNA said: "Qatar expresses its sympathy and its solidarity to the US people and government in these painful circumstances and sends its condolences to the families of the victims in this humanitarian catastrophe."

Three other Arab countries -- Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates -- have also offered aid to the United States.

[JasonC]

Um, I don't think so, sorry. There is a Qatar TV, distinct from Al-Jaz. But Al-Jaz is privately owned and operated. Qatar has had a free press only since the mid 1990s, but it is free. Perhaps they should do more to counter radicals using it. Perhaps we should prosecute Dan Rather for treason, fire professors in Colorado who call victims of terrorism little Eichmanns, etc. But one is quite like the other.

[SedVictaCatoni]

I am planning to write to the Embassy of Qatar to express my gratitude for his country's help. If anyone else is interested:

His Excellency Ambassador Badr Umar al-Dafa
Embassy of the State of Qatar
4200 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20016

FYI: the proper form of address is "Your Excellency".

[Finalapproach29er]

Now that is bellying up to the bar!

Well done.

[burzum]

According to the CIA factbook Qatar has a GDP of $19.49 billion. Their donation is equivalent to 0.5% of their GDP. If the US were to make an equivalent level donation in percentage of GDP it would be $55 billion.

This is an enormous donation from a country that has less than one million people. I am fairly impressed.

But lets not kid ourselves. $100 million is only a drop in the bucket to the $100 billion that we are going to have to spend to rebuild. In fact, $100 million could only finance our current level of relief operations for 5 hours. More donations are needed by normal Americans.

[DoughtyOne]

LOL, that does it, we're not taking our aid dollars either!

[Just mythoughts]

"This is the mid-east country that is working toward having a decmocracy.
Thank you Quatar!!!!"

I pray that God Blesses them.

[msnimje]

They should keep their money and shut down Al Jazeera instead. That will save more American Lives.

[pa mom]

The Iraqi goverment has bigger fish to fry--their citizens are dying every day from violence. Let them use their resources to help themselves. We are fortunate enough not to need them, though all help is, of course, welcome.

I trust the thoughts and prayers of a great many Iraqi citizens are with us today.

[Just mythoughts]

Wait a minute, for an nation to reach out with this kind of money is a signal to the world that we are NOT the most evil place on this earth.

We should be very gracious in our acceptance and Al Jazeera will have to cover it.

[warsaw44]

oh, brother - are you ever asking a question I have had for a long time. I have heard it pronounced ten ways to Sunday.

[adam_az]

"I'm not interested in taking $$ from a country that plays home base to Al Jazeera."

They are also CentComs forward HQ

[jwalsh07]

We can thank President Bush 41 for this one.

[warsaw44]

Right after Mass today they announced Hurricane relief collection baskets were being placed near the exits today. Folks were really filling those baskets as they left!

[pa mom]

The RC has cleaned up it's act. Whatever the misgivings, they do have a great infrastructure and are able to hit areas quickly.

That said, I have heard they are not being allowed into NOLA by the mayor. Another issue, certainly, but frustrating, huh?

[Graymatter]

Just wow. I fold!

[Torie]

Bush is liked around there. That offered up some fodder for Michael Moore, but with debits come credits. It is a CPA thing.

[Redmen4ever]

long live Emir Hamad, a true Rennaisance man ... warrior, political reformer, free-market economist, and - now - philanthropist!


Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, 52, a reformist who was educated both in Qatar and at Britain's Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.

Emir Hamad succeeded first as a military leader --- his brigade was one of the best-trained units in the region and distinguished itself fighting the Iraqis in Kuwait in 1991 --- then as a politician. He was appointed deputy emir in 1993, second only to his father, the emir. In 1995, while his father was vacationing in Switzerland, Hamad seized power in a bloodless coup. (The two have since reconciled.)

Emir Hamad's move was well-received by the business community, who found the former regime too conservative in pressing for economic reforms, such as free trade. The emir's reforms have gone beyond economics, however, to include relatively rapid steps toward political democracy.


http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2002/021227-qatar01.htm

[HIDEK6]

Isn't Qatar the only place in the mid-east you can get a drink?

[snippy_about_it]

Qatar formally lifted censorship of the media in 1995 and since then the press has been essentially free from government interference.

Link

[68 grunt]

Dang fine gesture!