Qatar's crown prince quits post for his brother

Well-informed Qatari sources stressed that Qatar’s Heir Apparent (crown prince) Sheikh Jassem bin Hamad al-Thani has quit the post of the crown prince for his brother Sheikh Tamim who presides over the Olympic committee.

The sources said that Sheikh Jasem will announce leaving his post for the Qatari people today, Tuesday after the Amir of Qatar, Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani agreed on that.

Diplomats explained that this matter might be attributed to health reasons relating to the current crown prince, but they gave no further details.

Worthy mentioning that Sheikh Jassem was nominated as a crown prince in November 1996 by his father the ruler of the country.

The state of Qatar is considered one of the countries which enjoys large media and political openness in the region. Qatar has recently approved a new constitution that defines the mission of the rule and the state. It was proposed by the Amir of Qatar to the people and a memorandum was held concerning it and was approved at a huge majority.