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21:18 GMT
DOHA, May 30 (KUNA) -- Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh
Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr Al Thani opened here on Saturday the Qatar Law
Forum, underlining that vision of democracy in the Gulf state was defised by
policies set by Amir since taking power in 1995.
The three-day Forum is being held under the banner "A global Commitment to
the Rule of Law".
The premier that the gist of these policies is that the ideal means to
realizing peace, security, justice and comprehensive development is building a
democracy that does not overlook the cultural particularities and differences
in society.
He said "we have embarked on this approach from a realistic foundation by a
persistent effort to build a state founded on institutions, human rights and
effective popular participation in management and governance in accordance
with the principles of transparency and accountability, which involves the
opinion of the majority of people based on the national constitution."
He underlined that the constitution stipulates clearly that the rule of law
is the foundation of governance in the state and adopts a host of principles
to achieve this goal among which is the separation between authorities and
observance of the constitution's provisions and ensuring equality among people
and protecting their rights and freedoms.
"For this reason we have embarked upon a process of ongoing review of
present legislation on the basis of the constitution in order to modernize and
harmonize it with the requirements of sustainable development and progress to
the level of advancement that we seek for our country in various spheres of
life," he added.
Furthermore, he said "we do not rule out the possibility of needing to
redress the drawbacks in the legislation, which arose as a result of
development in the legal field. We therefore look forward to what should be
taken in this regard, and that is what we hope from the discussions and
opinions of the participants in this forum".
The ultimate goal, he said, is to ensure peaceful existence in the human
society, which is the basis of the social system and its need to survive and
develop. He stressed: "This is the sublime goal of the law that cannot be
realized without the rule of the law."
The premier also touched on the global commitment to the rule of law, an
overall theme of the topics of the agenda of this forum.
"The consolidation of the rule of law principle at the national level is
not sufficient unless adopted at the international level since no country
lives in isolation from other countries, therefore, there is a necessity to
organize international relations in a way that upholds rights and imposes
duties on the basis of the rule of law."
Up to 45 countries are taking part in the Forum including around 300
leading legal experts, chief justices, other top judges, bankers, regulators,
academics and lawyers in addition to 400 participants from the Qatari public
prosecution department. (end)
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