Ruler of Qatar to Cede power to his Son

DOHA,(ST) _ Senior figures in Qatar have briefed foreign counterparts that the time has come for Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, the 33-year-old crown prince to take over the leadership of Qatar  the Daily Telegraph has learned.

The succession plan, which is due to be launched by the end of the month, will see Hamad bin Jassim, the prime minister and one of the biggest investors in Britain, give up his post.

Within weeks of that decision the royal court will announce that the emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa, who has struggled with health problems, will cede powers to the crown prince.

“The plan is to manage a staged handover of power that allows the crown prince to come to the fore,” said one source with knowledge of the discussions. “The stakes are very high because Qatar is at forefront of events in a very sensitive region.”

Sheikh Hamad, the emir, took power in a bloodless coup in 1995, taking advantage of his father’s absence on a trip to Europe.

Meantime, Reuters reported that  such a change could inject an element of uncertainty into the foreign policies of the U.S.-allied gas exporter, which is a global investment powerhouse in alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood.It is customary for Gulf Arab heads of state to continue in office until death.

Arab and Western diplomats in Doha and elsewhere in the region said that countries, including the United States, Britain, France and Saudi Arabia had been briefed on the plan.

They said they expected the reshuffle to take one of two courses — either Sheikh Tamim would replace Sheikh Hamad as the prime minister until he takes over as emir when his father eventually steps down, or the current Deputy Prime Minister, Ahmed al-Mahmoud, would become the next prime minister when Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim steps aside.

Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim, 53, has been prime minister since 2007 and has played a key role in positioning Qatar as power broker in the region. He is also chairman of the board of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), a position he is expected to retain. QIA has estimated assets of $100 billion – $200 billion ( (64.4 billion pounds – 128.8 billion pounds).

A close U.S. ally that hosts a large U.S. military base, Qatar is the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and wealthiest nation per-capita. The tiny country whose economy once centred on pearl fishing now has a sovereign wealth fund that controls an estimated $100 billion in assets.

British-educated Sheikh Tamim is believed to be closer to the Muslim Brotherhood.

T. Fateh