Cabinet highlights Qatar mediation efforts in Gaza ceasefire agreement

Doha, Qatar: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani chaired the Cabinet's regular meeting held at its seat at the Amiri Diwan on Wednesday afternoon.

After the meeting, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs HE Ibrahim bin Ali Al Mohannadi issued the following statement:

At the outset of the meeting, the Cabinet welcomed the agreement between the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel to cease fire in the Gaza Strip and exchange prisoners and hostages, which was reached through joint mediation efforts undertaken by the State of Qatar in cooperation with the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America.

The Cabinet commended the efforts made by HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani through His Highness's directives, as well as his continuous and direct follow-up of the developments of the mediation process since its inception, which had the greatest impact in reaching the agreement that entered into force on Sunday.

The Cabinet voiced its hope for the completion of the implementation of the agreement with all its provisions and the full fulfillment of its obligations, in a way that would stop the bloodshed of civilians, end the tragedy of the people of Gaza, secure the flow of humanitarian aid to the Strip, and its reconstruction, contribute to the stability of the region, and pave the way for a real peace process based on the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, and lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Cabinet then considered the topics on its agenda, where the Cabinet approved -in principle- the draft law on practicing the veterinary profession, and the draft of its executive regulations. The preparation of the aforementioned draft law comes to replace Law No. 8 of 1995 on practicing the veterinary profession, with the aim of reorganizing the work of veterinarians, auxiliary veterinary professions, and veterinary facilities, within the framework of protecting and developing livestock and enhancing food security, food safety and public health.

The Cabinet also approved -in principle- a draft law amending some provisions of Law No. 19 of 2004 on the protection of wildlife and its natural habitats, and a draft law amending some provisions of Law No. 5 of 2006 regulating trade in endangered species of wildlife and their products. The preparation of the two draft laws aims to regulate activities related to the protection of wildlife and its natural habitats and to set conditions and requirements related to the acquisition of wildlife, in light of the strategy of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.

The Cabinet also approved -in principle- the draft decisions of the Minister of Commerce and Industry to adopt regional technical regulations as Qatari technical regulations, Qatari standard specifications, and regional standard specifications as Qatari standard specifications. These projects aim to meet the needs of national factories, improve the quality of goods available to consumers in local markets, and keep pace with successive developments in the field of specifications and standards.

The Cabinet decided to approve -in principle- the draft decision of the Chairman of Qatar Tourism to issue the organizational structure of Qatar Tourism.

The Cabinet also decided to take the necessary measures to ratify a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of ports between the government of the State of Qatar and the government of the Republic of Colombia.

The Cabinet also decided to approve a draft memorandum of understanding on cooperation and exchange of expertise in various fields of strategic development planning between the government of the State of Qatar and the government of the Republic of Turkiye; a draft memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the fields of youth and sports between the government of the State of Qatar and the government of the Republic of Uganda; a draft memorandum of understanding between the Public Prosecution Office in the State of Qatar and the Public Prosecution Office in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste on cooperation in the field of public prosecution work; a draft memorandum of understanding in the field of academic cooperation between University of Doha for Science and Technology in the State of Qatar, Qatar Airways Group in the State of Qatar, the National School of Civil Aviation in the French Republic, the Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space ISAE - SUPAERO in the French Republic, and Airbus SAS in the French Republic; and a draft executive program for a cooperation agreement in the field of endowments and Islamic affairs between the government of the State of Qatar and the government of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria.

The Cabinet concluded its meeting by reviewing four reports and taking appropriate decisions regarding them. These included the annual reports on the work of the Permanent Committee for Penal and Correctional Institutions, the reports of the Permanent Committee for Water Resources on its work until 31/12/2024 and its recommendations in this regard, a report on the results of the participation of the State of Qatar's delegation headed by HE the Minister of Commerce and Industry in the 40th Ministerial Meeting of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (COMCEC), a report on the State of Qatar obtaining full membership in the Global Privacy Assembly, and the results of hosting the Common Criteria International Conference.