QATAR | Page 20 CRICKET | Page 34 India end Women’s World INDEX DOW JONES QE NYMEX QATAR 2, 3, 20 COMMENT 18, 19 Cup on ARAB WORLD 4, 5 BUSINESS 21-27 13,934.20 8,757.59 95.72 INTERNATIONAL 6-16 CLASSIFIED 28, 29 Fun at Souq Waqif -52.37 -11.61 -0.90 ISLAM 17 SPORT 29-36 a high -0.37% -0.13% -0.93% Spring Festival Latest Figures published in QATAR since 1978 FRIDAY Vol. XXXIII No. 8897 February 8, 2013 Rabia-I 27, 1434 AH GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals In brief Golden Sword winner Anti-drug QATAR | Finance Govt posts $26bn budget surplus in July-Sept Qatar’s government budget leaped centre for into a large surplus of QR94.6bn ($26.0bn) in the July-September period, the second quarter of its 2012/13 fiscal year, preliminary central bank data showed yesterday. The fiscal surplus of the world’s No. 1 exporter of liquefied GCC opens natural gas was equivalent to 53.9% of gross domestic product in the period, according to the central bank. It was more than double the QR42.2bn surplus recorded in the same quarter of the previous year, and compared with an QR18.5bn in Doha deficit in April-June. That put the cumulative surplus at QR76.1bn in By Ayman Adly He pointed out that large quantities April-September. Staff Reporter of narcotic substances, including hash- ish, heroin, cocaine and hallucination pills, and other types of illicit drugs QATAR | Report arking a huge step in the fi ght had been seized in joint GCC raids. As Food consumption and against drug abuse in the many as 23 dealers have been arrested farm produce up in 2011 MGCC, the Gulf Drugs Preven- and convicted while some others are HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani yesterday attended the Annual Pure-bred Arabian Horse Race for tion Information Centre (GDPIC) was still under investigation. The annual rate of food HH The Heir Apparent Sword and two trophies at the Racing and Equestrian Club. HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani, the yesterday inaugurated in Doha by HE The primary strategy of the centre consumption in Qatar was 884kg Personal Adviser of HH the Emir, a number of their excellencies Sheikhs and ministers also attended the race along with horse the Minister of State for Interior Af- was approved way back in 2009 and it per person in 2011 compared to owners and racing fans. After the race HH the Heir Apparent handed the Golden Sword to HE Sheikh Hamad bin Mishaal bin fairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin started functioning in April 2010. The only 711kg in 2009, a report of Hamad al-Thani, owner of “Al-Mujahaz” the winner of the main 7th race. The Heir Apparent also handed the two trophies of the Khalifa al-Thani, and GCC Secretary formal inauguration of the centre’s of- the Ministry of Environment has 5th and 6th races to HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani and the owner of both “Tabarak” and “Very Nice Name”. Page 36 General Abdul Latif al-Zayani. fi ce took place in Doha yesterday. revealed. Food imports in 2011 The GDPIC, the fi rst-of-its-kind The centre, said Col al-Muraikhi, has amounted to 2,934,033 tonnes centre in the GCC, aims to facilitate the signed an agreement with the United and 3,456,489 tonnes in 2009. exchange of information and experi- Nations Offi ce on Drugs and Crime The arable area in the country ence in related fi elds for the benefi t of for technical and training support. Be- remained the same through 2009- all the countries in the region. sides, steps are afoot to sign a memo- 2011, with around 65,000 hectares. After the inauguration, the minister randum of understanding (MoU) with The number of farms reached toured the facilities at the centre and the Dubai Police for training and an- 1,281 in 2011 with an increase in the Emir calls for unifi ed got acquainted with its technical and other with the International Criminal local production of vegetables and technological capabilities, its main Police Organisation (Interpol) for pos- other agricultural products. The duties and how it could carry out the sible co-operation in the fi eld. The GD- annual report on agriculture and task of co-ordination among the GCC PIC also works in close co-ordination consumption rate of food items member-states. with drug prevention centres in Europe published yesterday in local Arabic vision to face challenges Col Saqr Rashid al-Muraikhi, GDPIC and other regions. daily Al-Sharq indicates that director, said the centre is the outcome The centre has convened three spe- the total cultivated land in 2011 QNA lenges requires attention to human as well as achieving the unity of the Is- of the joint eff orts of GCC countries cialised training courses with the UN amounted to 9,021 hectares with Cairo development and youth issues and not lamic nation on the basis of tolerance in drug prevention. Outlining the key and held a regional workshop on chem- a production of 386,877 tonnes of to marginalise them, in addition to un- and the recognition of diversity as a functions of the centre, he said the GD- ical precursors. food. In 2010 this area was 10,505 derstanding their aspirations through source of strength and richness, and on PIC facilitates the collection of infor- Al-Zayani expressed his gratitude to hectares with a production of H the Emir of Qatar Sheikh education, employment, the elimina- the basis of common interests, the em- mation, investigation and surveillance HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa 469,004 tonnes. Hamad bin Khalifa al-Tha- tion of unemployment and to involve bracement of peoples’ aspirations, and operations in co-ordination with com- al-Thani for his support. “This indi- Hni has called on the Islamic them in decision-making. the unity of visions in common issues. petent entities to suppress any attempt cates the keenness of the ministries of countries to crystallise a unifi ed vision HH the Emir highlighted the neces- Commenting on Israel’s de facto of illegal trade in drugs. It also gathers interior in the GCC to address issues ARAB WORLD | Unrest to face the challenges of the present sity of spreading the correct teachings strategy, including the new settlement information on all illegal dealings in that aff ect the people of the region. The Tunisia presidency has and the future in a changing world of Islam and deepening rapprochement decisions, the Judaisation of Jerusa- drugs, chemicals and hallucination pills, issue of drugs aff ects health, education, where barriers were crumbling and and peaceful coexistence with others, lem, and practices that prevent the es- stores the data and analyses the same for economic development and the overall ‘no info’ on new govt crises were crossing borders from one tablishment of a sovereign Palestinian the benefi t of interested parties. security of the region,” he said. The Tunisian presidency country to another. state, HH the Emir said these measures said yesterday that it had no He said nihilist terrorism, which has Islamic states urge ‘serious constituted a challenge to the interna- information about a government no regard for reality of the present and dialogue’ on Syria tional community and a clear violation of non-partisan technocrats that future of communities and nations of international law and human values. Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali said and which uses religion as a cover, Leaders of Islamic states called for On the Syrian crisis, the Emir said would be formed, after his own remained one of the most important a peaceful resolution to the Syrian the crisis would only end if the cur- party rejected the move. “The challenges facing the Islamic nation as confl ict through “serious dialogue” rent regime relinquishes power or gets president has not received the a threat to social peace and the secu- between the regime and its foes, as Iran toppled, and an immediate cessation resignation of the prime minister rity of the Islamic peoples. voiced reservations, at a summit in of violence is in place, with Syrian nor the details of the cabinet This came in a speech of HH the Emir Cairo yesterday. people getting the right to self-deter- of technocrats announced by delivered at the 12th Islamic Summit in Leaders and representatives of the mination so as to preserve the unity, the prime minister,” presidency Cairo. The Emir explained that these Organisation of Islamic Co-operation stability, and sovereignty of Syria. spokesman Adnene Manser told challenges required four matters, the also said they support eff orts to help He stressed that the Security Coun- reporters. Jebali, who hails from fi rst is the need to adopt dialogue and Mali “regain its territorial integrity” . cil is to shoulder a historic responsi- the ruling Islamist party Ennahda, negotiations and other peaceful means The OIC called for a “serious dialogue bility in ending the Syrian bloodshed said on Wednesday evening that he as an optimised way to resolve disputes between the opposition (National) through the employment of Chap- would form a new administration between states, as well as between con- Coalition and government offi cials who ter VII of the Charter, including the of non-political technocrats, but fl icting parties in one state, and away believe in political change and are not prompt issuing of a binding cease- Ennadha’s parliamentary leader from the fuelling religious racism. directly involved in the repression” in fi re decision, sending peacekeeping said his bloc of MPs rejected the HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al- Syria, said spokesman Tareq Ali Bakhit.