America builds its biggest weapons store in Qatar
Qatar-USA, Politics, 3/8/1999

Qatar put out reports that were repeated in the last year that the United States is building on Qatari territories its biggest base for storing military equipment outside the US.

In a press conference held yesterday by Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jasem al-Thani with French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, the Qatari minister clearly assured these reports' credibility, declaring that the US is already building the base and that it will be a great store for American weapons.

When the Qatari minister was asked about how the base may affect Qatari sovereignty and whether these weapons include prohibited weapons, he said, "Regarding the American store there are no prohibited weapons as far as I know," but he added that the Qatari people do not have enough experience to help them reveal whether there are prohibited weapons or not.

Sheikh Hamad bin Jasem justified this step in military cooperation among the Gulf states and the US by saying that there was an agreement between Doha and Washington signed in February 1991, after which matters concerning Qatar's security and dealing with this military storage base were determined.

The base will be completed in 18 months.

Previous Stories:
  Qatari FM confers with Albright   (2/27/1999)
  US, Qatar reviewed bilateral relations   (2/23/1999)
  Qatari FM confers with US state official Indyk   (2/1/1999)

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