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QATAR BECOMES 56TH OAS PERMANENT OBSERVER

  October 18, 2002

The Organization of American States (OAS) granted the nation of Qatar permanent observer status this week during a meeting of its Permanent Council. Ambassador Arturo Duarte of Guatemala, Chairman of the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs, recommended the move after receiving the request from the government of Qatar.

A member of the Qatari royal family, Sheik Meshal bin Hamad Al-Thani, attended the Permanent Council meeting and also accompanied Ambassador Bader Omar Al-Dafa of Qatar to the meeting of the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs the week before.

To date, 55 states and the European Union have been granted the status of permanent observer to the OAS. This provides a way for non-member states to closely follow events in the hemisphere, support OAS activities and provide cooperation for its development programs.

In recent months, Yugoslavia, the Slovak Republic and Georgia were also granted this status.

Reference: E-207/02