ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Monday 15 April 2013 5 Jumada II 1434 - Volume 18 Number 5670 Price: QR2 Qatar bourse Fernando books largest Alonso tops one-day fall Shanghai field Business | 17 Sport | 28 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Emir meets Egypt official GCC states Law on online meet over Iran nuclear trading and leak fears DUBAI/KHOBAR: National emergency officials in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) licences soon countries met yesterday in Saudi Arabia to discuss the risk of radiation spreading over the Single window clearance planned Gulf if Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant is damaged by DOHA: A law is on the anvil Licences will be issued for a another earthquake. to allow online trading in the year and will be renewable for A 6.3-magnitude earthquake country and provide licence to another year or for a number of struck close to Iran’s only nuclear a new business, including those years. The current law (Number power station last week, killing owned by foreigners, in just a 25 of 2005) provides for licensing dozens of people but leaving the day through a single-window of a business or shop or indus- nearby plant undamaged, accord- clearance system. trial installation for a year and ing to Iranian officials and the If an applicant wanting to set renewal for five years. Russian company that built it. up a business fails to fulfill the Under the new laws the drafts There is no indication of any criteria, the Ministry of Business of which were approved by the radiation leak following last week’s and Trade, the licensing authority State Cabinet on April 10, busi- tremor and the head of Iran’s and the facilitator of the single- nesses, including shops, offices Atomic Energy Organisation said window, would say a “no” on the and other outlets, could be given The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani with Egyptian Attorney General Talaat Ibrahim Mohammed the plant was built to withstand spot. The Ministry has framed a license even for less than a year. Abdullah at the Emiri Diwan yesterday. much bigger quakes. two draft laws — one to regu- A highlight of the new legisla- But the plant on earthquake- late commercial registration and tions that are in the pipeline is prone Iran’s southern coast is a licensing of businesses in general, that businesses will be allowed growing worry for its neighbours, while the other pertains specifi- to carry out online trading. It is because the prevailing winds of cally to the licensing of shops, understood that for that purpose the Gulf mean that if radiation industrial installations, garages, extensive rules will be set in place Vegetables dearer, fruits cheaper ever does escape it would probably and vendors, among others. in the near future. be blown over the Qatari capital Shops include hotels, restau- The aim of the new laws is to DOHA: Fresh vegetables since February. plantains, among other perisha- Doha and the main oil export- rants, cafetarias, clubs and clinics, over-simplify licensing proce- became 20 percent more expen- The prices of fish at the state- bles. Apples were mostly imported ing ports of the United Arab among other outlets. dures for businesses and attract sive at the Central Market in run market receded almost 28 from Lebanon and China. Emirates. No vendor will be given a increased inflow of foreign invest- March 2013 since a year earlier, percent in a year last March, Onions, watermelon and chilies GCC Secretary-General, licence to operate independently. ment, Qatar News Agency (QNA) although the prices of fruits and the Ministry said while releasing were the largest items of import Abdulatif Al Zayani, said that Vending licences will only be given reported yesterday quoting the fish came down a little, accord- extensive data of imports for the from India, while most of the Gulf Arab states must have a joint to businesses that have shops and Minister of Business and Trade, ing to the Ministry of Business period under review. Meat prices potatoes were procured from plan to collectively deal with any offices. The branches of a busi- H E Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulaziz and Trade which boasts a con- have generally remained stable. a host of countries, including possible leak from the Iranian ness will not be required to name Al Thani. sumer watchdog that closely India was the largest exporter Pakistan, Iran, Jordan, China facility. a person separately who would be Once the legislations are in tracks the pricing of essentials of vegetable stocks that were and Egypt. Local vegetables that “The earthquake that the legally responsible for the opera- force, Qatar would have a higher on almost a daily basis. retailed or sold by wholesal- inundated the Central Market Iranian city of Bushehr was sub- tions of that branch, as it the case ranking in the world in terms of The Ministry didn’t cite any ers from the Central Market in in March included cucumber, ject to has raised a great deal now. Instead, an applicant for a the “ease of doing business”, the reasons for the price rise of veg- March this year. Local produce tomatoes, green peas, egg plants of concern among GCC coun- business licence will be required Minister said. “We will issue a etables, but said fruits sold 19 accounted for the second largest and chilies, among other fresh tries and the international com- to name just one person as legally business licence and registration percent cheaper last March as volume. As for fresh fruits, Egypt stocks. Iran was a large exporter munity of a possible damage to responsible for its operations, in just one day.” compared to the previous months ranked number one in exports of beetroot, as also of potatoes and the Bushehr nuclear reactor whether at its main office or at THE PENINSULA and the decline in their rates was last March and the imports onions in the month. that could cause a radioactive branches. Continued on page 3 a steep nine percent in a month included orange, strawberry and THE PENINSULA leak, God forbid,” Zayani said at the start of the meeting in Riyadh. “The GCC countries have pre- viously warned against the danger of the nuclear reactor of Bushehr and the possible nuclear leak and Health facilities to sign contracts on standards its harmful effect on the environ- ment in the Gulf,” he added. DOHA: All public and private The new system will also lead effectively. Those performing “Now we will be having a direct rates ( the number of people get- Zayani said that the six Gulf healthcare facilities in the coun- to introducing unified quality well will enjoy the benefits and contract with each facility that ting sick with a disease and those states have previously urged try will soon be asked to sign standards for public and private those lagging will face the con- binds them to meet the quality dying due to a disease), waiting Tehran to ensure its facility com- a contract with the Supreme healthcare facilities in the coun- sequences,” Dr Jamal Rashid Al standards or face action,” said Al times, among others. plies with international safety Council of Health (SCH) com- try, a senior SCH official said Khanji, director of the Healthcare Khanji. He said the performance He said once the manda- standards and join the Convention mitting themselves to meet the yesterday. Quality Management Department of each facility will be monitored tory health insurance scheme is on Nuclear Safety, but Tehran did quality standards set by SCH. “The proposed contract involves at SCH told The Peninsula. through ‘key performance indi- implemented in the country, the not show any sign it understood The SCH will monitor the per- a commitment by the health facil- He said the new contract is dif- cators’ (KPI) that will be clearly contract will be restructured to international concerns over its formance of all these facilities ities to promptly and accurately ferent from the licences issued to mentioned in the new contract. include the terms and conditions nuclear programme. Iran is the based on this contract and those report all their activities to our healthcare facilities, which is an KPI will include all aspects of of the insurance cover. only country operating a nuclear failing to fulfill their commitment department. This will help us official permission to operate in healthcare such as admission THE PENINSULA power plant that does not belong will face action, including closure. monitor their performance more the country. rate, morbidity and mortality Continued on page 5 to the convention. REUTERS World’s first shipping tunnel Venezuelans vote Summer holidays of schools, QU unified DOHA: The annual summer vacation at schools and Qatar University for president (QU) has been unified, with the Supreme Education Council (SEC) reaching an agreement with QU. The unified vacation schedule CARACAS: Venezuelans lined will come into force from the forthcoming summer, according to up yesterday to vote whether Al Sharq. The SEC recently issued a decision unifying the summer to honour Hugo Chavez’s dying holidays of all the independent and private schools in the country. wish for a longtime loyalist to continue his hardline socialism or hand power to a young chal- Attacks kill 34 civilians in Somalia lenger vowing business-friendly changes. MOGADISHU: A nine-man suicide commando squad blasted its Acting President Nicolas way into Mogadishu’s main court complex yesterday, some blowing Maduro had a double-digit lead up their explosives vests while others sprayed gunfire in a rampage in most polls heading into elec- that left 29 civilians dead, while a separate bomb attack killed five tion day, buoyed by Chavez’s pub- more.