Qatar appoints woman as spokesperson of FM

CAIRO – 9 November 2017: Qatari Foreign Ministry issued a ministerial decision on Tuesday appointing Lulwah Rashid al-Khater as the official spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry.

It is the first time that Qatar appoints a woman in the position of Foreign Ministry’s official spokesperson during Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s ruling.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signed a memorandum of understanding with the Qatari government in July, pledging greater cooperation in the fight against illicit financing of terrorist groups throughout the Middle East.

The U.S. Congress was scheduled to hand over the text of the U.S.-Qatari protocol at the same time Khater was appointed; the text outlines that sources of terrorism in Qatar are to be monitored. Congressmen Dan Donovan and Brian Fitzpatrick called for amendments in the protocol.

Khater worked as a commissioner for the Foreign Ministry; she is also a public policy researcher and a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Oxford for oriental studies. She received a Master's Degree in science from the Imperial College in London and a Master's Degree in public policy in Islam from the Hamad bin Khalifa University. She was the director of the research projects at the Qatar Foundation and director of planning and quality in the General Authority for Tourism.

Congress is considering new legislation that requires the president to impose sanctions on individuals and state-sponsored agencies that finance terrorist groups like Hamas. Qatar is trying to convince the U.S. administration to steer clear of adding any Qatari agencies to that list, according to The Hill.

Hence, two key amendments are offered to the bill which will be presented to the House Foreign Affairs Committee in November. The first will require regular reporting by the U.S. administration on whether Qatar is living up to its commitments under the memorandum of understanding. The second will mandate reporting on the presence of Hamas financiers residing in Qatar and any transfer of funds or material support either directly or indirectly between Qatar and Hamas.