Qatar's Shura Council Holds Regular Weekly Meeting, Approves Draft State Budget

Doha, November 28 (QNA) - The Shura Council held Monday its regular weekly meeting under the chairmanship of HE Speaker of the Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim. At the beginning of the session, the Shura Council expressed its rejection of the European Parliament's recent resolution on the situation of human rights in the context of the FIFA World Cup in the State of Qatar, and the attempt to question the State's eligibility to host the tournament based on false reports and allegations. Afterward, HE Secretary-General of the Shura Council Dr. Ahmed bin Nasser Al Fadhala read out the agenda of the session. The minutes of the previous session were ratified. At the beginning of the deliberations, the Council reviewed a draft law on combating the concealment of non-Qatari practice of commercial, economic, and professional activities in violation of the law referred by the esteemed government. The Council decided to refer it to the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee for study and to submit a report thereon to the Council. The Shura Council also completed its discussion of the draft state budget for the fiscal year 2023, and the draft law approving the budget, reviewing the report of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee on the two aforementioned drafts. After extensive discussions that reflected a deep understanding of the goals and foundations of the budget, the Council approved the draft state budget for the fiscal year 2023 and the draft law approving it. In this regard, HE Speaker of the Council praised HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's wise policy, noting that the draft state budget for the fiscal year 2023 affirms the special importance HH the Amir attaches to the public sectors included in this budget, which will have a tangible positive impact on the country and the citizen. For their part, members of the Shura Council praised the foundations upon which the draft state general budget is based, most importantly the adoption of the medium-term planning principle for the general budget, and the continuation of work to achieve Qatar National Vision 2030, in light of the readiness to launch the third national strategy 2023-2027 to implement the Vision, in pursuit of the nation's elevation and the citizen's well-being, under HH the Amir's wise directives. The Council members affirmed their appreciation for the gains and achievements made, especially in the health, education, and infrastructure fields, looking forward to further development in these fields and other areas to meet the aspirations of the citizens. During the session, HE Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim informed the members of the content of the letter addressed to the Speaker of the Arab Parliament, which included the Council's denunciation of the Arab Parliament Speaker's personal position and his insistence not to condemn the malicious campaigns against the State of Qatar's hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, despite the solidarity and support of the majority of members of the Arab Parliament expressed by issuing a statement in this regard. HE the Speaker of the Shura Council indicated that the Shura Council expressed its strong dissatisfaction with this unfriendly position which contradicts the principles upon which the parliament was established, and serves foreign agendas that are not in the interest of the Arab people. Meanwhile, His Excellency appreciated the positions supportive to Qatar by a number of regional and international parliamentary organizations and unions, such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States, and the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union. (QNA)