DOHA, 29 March 2006 — Qatari Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al-Thani yesterday sacked the gas-rich state’s economy and trade minister, the official QNA news agency reported. Sheikh Mohammad ibn Ahmad ibn Jassem Al-Thani was “relieved of his post,” it said, without giving a reason. Under the decree issued by Sheikh Tamim, Finance Minister Yussef Hussein Kamal will also be in charge of economy and trade, QNA said.
It was not immediately known why Sheikh Mohammad, a member of Qatar’s ruling family, was fired from the key post in the Gulf state, which is engaged in an all-out push to become the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas and a global energy giant.
The dismissal came as the Qatari crown prince stood in for his father, Emir Sheikh Hamad ibn Khalifa Al-Thani, who was attending an Arab summit in Sudan.
