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Qatar's Grandfather Amir leaves legacy of giving for Arabs

DOHA, Oct 23 (KUNA) -- Qatar's Grandfather Amir Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani, who passed away Sunday evening at the age of 84, made remarkable achievements for his country and the Arab nation in the social, economic and political fields.
When he assumed power on February 22, 1972, he started empowering the government through adding new portfolios such as the ministries of foreign affairs, information and municipal affairs.
The Qatari economy grew remarkable during his reign which lasted until June 27, 1995, thanks to the numerous oil and gas discoveries.
In 1991, Qatar exported its first consignment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Northern Gas Field, the world's second biggest field.
In 1981 he cofounded with the then leaders of the Arabian Gulf states the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) which emerged as a key player in the international economic and political affairs.
Under his leadership, Qatar played a great role in the military campaign to liberate Kuwait from the Iraqi invasion through committing 23 percent of its armed forces to the campaign which lasted between February 24 and 28, 1991.
On the international scale, he managed to strengthen Qatar's external ties through establishing diplomatic relations on the ambassadorial level with as many countries as possible.
The demise of heikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani is a great loss for Qatar and the Arab nation at large. (pickup previous) nnd.gb