Qatari Newspapers Editorials

Doha, November 07 (QNA) - In their Monday editorials, local newspapers highlighted the completion of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 preparations for all vital sectors in the State of Qatar, which took 12 years of continuous planning and implementation efforts to reach full readiness, and in record time, emphasizing the country's professionalism in organizing major events. The newspapers highlighted Qatar's tremendous efforts to host one of the best tournaments ever, as it built infrastructure, stadiums, hotels, tourist attractions, public parks, and many other facilities for this purpose. The newspapers also underlined the State of Qatar's affirmation of condemning all acts of terrorism and violent extremism as criminal acts that cannot be justified regardless of their motives, the place, the timing of their perpetration, and the parties perpetrating them. For its part, Al-Raya newspaper praised the great qualitative leaps that the transport sector witnessed in the State of Qatar, as it kept pace with the comprehensive renaissance and sustainable development that the country is experiencing. Qatar has made great strides in the field of sustainable transport, which reflects its great ambition to transition to clean and renewable energy. Qatar's win to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 accelerated the pace of sustainable development in the country, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. For 12 years, efforts have focused on presenting an honorable global model in all business, reflecting the great potential of the country in the field of hosting major sporting events, while simultaneously leaving a legacy for future generations, the paper said. Qatar sought to advance the transport sector by developing a huge and flexible program to keep pace with all future changes and requirements. This program included the development of initial designs to develop roads and maintain their sustainability after the completion of construction works, in addition to supervising the development of the multimedia infrastructure and facilities for the transport sector, including ports and airports, the paper said. The State of Qatar has the right to be proud that it will provide the world with a sustainable and advanced transport system, as the public bus transport infrastructure is one of the most environmentally friendly programs in the world, and it lays the foundations for a complete transformation powered by clean and environmentally friendly electric energy. This is of great importance as it coincides with the start of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the paper noted. Al-Raya concluded its editorial by saying that the State of Qatar has provided an integrated and sustainable transport network in the country to form an interconnected transport unit that includes public bus systems, the Doha Metro network, and the Lusail Tram supported by advanced infrastructure and the latest global technology. In turn, and under the title "Safety of All Top Priority", the English-language newspaper, The Peninsula, affirmed on Monday that Qatar is determined to make the mega event the best version of the FIFA World Cup ever and leave a lasting legacy for the region. Ever since Qatar won the right to host, it worked hard to prepare. One of the major preparations was from security aspects, it added. The newspaper highlighted the assertion of HE FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Security Operations Commander Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani that the safety and security of all participants in the tournament, including national teams, fans, and visitors, is a top priority. The tournament's Security and Safety Operations Committee implemented a series of plans, programmes, training courses, and joint exercises to raise the capabilities of the security staff. One of the programmes was the sports crowd security and safety programme, which was specifically designed to train government and private security personnel, the paper added. The programme included several training sessions such as stadium security and safety, crowd management, human rights, first aid, and cooperation with the crowds, the paper continued. In conclusion, The Peninsula said that Qatar is expected to deploy tens of thousands of security forces during the event. It has signed security cooperation deals with several countries. Qatari security forces, along with partners from 13 countries, recently carried out a five-day security exercise across the country to ensure its readiness. In its editorial, Al-Watan said that the campaign of support for the State of Qatar's hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2022 continues. The newspaper said that the support is based on a set of facts, most notably the standards that Qatar has achieved in order to organize a successful and unique edition in the history of the World Cup, in addition to the fact that this important sport event will be a real opportunity to introduce the world to the cultural heritage and the nature of the Arab region, away from the stereotype that a few countries are trying to promote for racist reasons. The Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) affirmed its support for Qatar's hosting of the World Cup, stressing that Qatar 2022 will be a real opportunity to introduce the world to the distinctive Arab culture, the paper noted. A few days ago, President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) renewed AFC's support for the extraordinary efforts exerted by the State of Qatar as the tournament approaches, urging the global football family to firmly unite behind this sporting spectacle, in order to help football realize its true potential and build bridges of solidarity and peace through this beautiful game, the paper said. Al-Watan concluded its editorial by saying that supporters of Qatar's hosting of the World Cup constitute the absolute majority, in contrast to those who are motivated by hateful racism, and who were unable to see what Qatar had achieved in order to host this event by affording an appropriate atmosphere to make the tournament an exceptional event, pointing out that this edition will be a carbon-neutral tournament, leaving a sustainable legacy for the State of Qatar and the region, as sustainability comes at the forefront of the country's preparations to organize the World Cup for the first time in the Arab world and the Middle East. Meanwhile, Al-Sharq daily highlighted in its editorial the State of Qatar's renewed condemnation of all acts of terrorism and violent extremism, as it considers them criminal acts that cannot be justified regardless of their motives and the parties who perpetrate them, and its call to commit to strengthening international cooperation to confront this dangerous scourge. In this regard, the newspaper pointed out that the State of Qatar has expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the attack that targeted a military base west of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and led to deaths, and affirmed its firm stance rejecting violence and terrorism. The paper underlined that the State of Qatar calls, on all occasions, for international cooperation in order to take the necessary measures to combat terrorism and prevent violent extremism that undermines human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, and stresses that, in taking these measures, states must abide by their obligations under international law, including the Charter of the United Nations. The paper also noted Doha's keenness to cooperate with a number of international and regional institutions, such as the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), the Global Coalition against ISIS and the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), to support counter-terrorism efforts at the regional and international levels. In conclusion, Al-Sharq said that Doha is committed to international instruments and relevant United Nations resolutions, and to the integrated implementation of the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy​. (QNA)