Oxford Business Group launches The Report: Emerging Qatar 2007

The product of a team of experienced analysts, who have spent nearly a year recording over three hundred interviews, covering each of the vital aspects of Qatar, its governance, society and economy, The Report presents a vital, in-depth understanding of the country.

Among its many valuable facets are a series of exclusive interviews with and viewpoints from major figures giving their appraisals of various aspects of Qatar.

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, outlines his vision for the progress and development of the country: "Our reforms have paid great attention to the development of our social system according to a vision that make our religious and national values compatible with the spirit of the age and its requirements.

"We have decided the best method for progress and development is to work with others, which can bring value and expertise to the table. That is why we are working with international partners who are interested in forging new ties in many sectors across the economy."

Mohammed Saleh Al Sada, Minister of State for Energy and Industrial Affairs, gives a profile of the government's dedication to industrial renovation, pointing out that the challenge faced is to exploit the country's energy resources in a sustainable manner on a long-term basis, and that, for that purpose, Qatar has entered into a series of partnerships with major oil companies.

The fight to contain inflation is outlined by Minister of Finance Yousef Hussain Kamal, who says that the government is instituting monetary and physical policies to contain it, as well as setting up a company dedicated to relieving shortages.

Governor of the Qatar Central Bank, Sheikh Abdullah bin Saoud bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, points out that inflation remained in the low single digits prior to 2004 when it increased to roughly 6.8% and then jumped to around 12.6% at the end of 2005 - due, by and large, to the weakness of the US dollar and capacity problems in the construction sector. The formal framework of the exchange-rate policy is a fixed parity between the Qatar Riyal (QR) and the US dollar at QR3.64 per dollar.

Alexander Dodds, Country Manager for ExxonMobil in Qatar, emphasises the continuing high priority given to the Barzan gas project, which is being established to ensure an adequate supply of fuel for local power generation plants.

A drive to encourage investment into areas offering premium returns is outlined by Misnad Al Misnad, Director of Ras Laffan Industrial City, who pointed out that when new industries come to Qatar they are offered a well-regulated, highly efficient one-stop shop as a central part of the government's support of the private sector's share of industry.

Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Industry underlines that Qatar is now undergoing important political and economic reforms, with the government developing and financial sector and capital markets and setting up a regulatory environment for international financial services companies that operates according to international standards.

The Report: Emerging Qatar 2007 also contains interviews with important international figures, including Lee Kuan Yew, Cherie Booth and Stelios Haji-Ioannou.

OBG's Editor-in-Chief Andrew Jeffreys said: "We are in the information business, and our most important role is alerting people to opportunity by providing accessible economic, political and business intelligence."

The wide ranging appraisals are part of the unique nature of The Report: Emerging Qatar 2007, available in print form or online, which offers the most extensive, independent, unbiased and accurate intelligence available, and is one of the range of OBG's publications, which are renowned as leading sources of information in developing and emerging markets around the world.