Qatar: "I'm speaking to you to tell you that I'm handing over power to Sheik Tamim, and I hope you will support him," the 61-year-old Qatari ruler said.
"I'm sure that Tamim will be able to lead you through the coming days," the emir said, adding that he hoped that he had "faithfully discharged his duties" in his 18 years in power. "I want to thank the people of Qatar, and I will keep my love for this land and its people."
The emir made no mention of whether his influential prime minister, Sheik Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, would retain office as Sheik Tamim assumes power. If Sheik Hamad leaves office as well, analysts say it is possible that Qatar could shift away from the assertive foreign policy pursued the emir and the prime minister, who used the country's vast natural-gas wealth to build regional influence and invest in real estate and other assets across the world.
Throughout his speech, the emir's emphasized he felt it was time to yield power to a new generation. "A new generation steps forward to shoulder the responsibility with their dynamic potential and creative thoughts," he said, reading without fanfare.
Qatar's new ruler, Sheik Tamim, was born in 1980 and educated at Britain's military academy at Sandhurst. He already plays a key role in Qatar's policy-making and diplomacy.
Transfer of power by a living ruler is a rarity in the Gulf Arab monarchies. Throughout the Gulf, aging kings, sultans and emirs preside over one of the world's youngest populations. Qatar under the emir made a reputation of challenging fellow Arab governments. The Al-Jazeera news channel, established in 1996 with money and protection from the emir, initially challenged the region's stagnant news media with critical coverage of other Arab governments. More recently, Qatar actively supported rebels in Libya, Syria and elsewhere amid the Arab revolutions. Qatar under the current emir also riled its powerful neighbor Saudi Arabia with its support of regional Muslim Brotherhood movements, and challenged Saudi Arabia's dominance as a patron of other conservative strains in Islam.
Some analysts say Qatar may have overreached with some of these partisan causes abroad, and that Sheik Tamim will inherit a country that has grown unpopular with many in the Arab world. |
