The Cabinet has decided to form a committee comprising officials of the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, Ministry of Business and Trade and Kahramaa to implement the recommendations of the fact-finding panel that was set up soon after the Villaggio fire.

In a statement issued after the regular Cabinet meeting chaired by HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani on Wednesday evening at the Emiri Diwan, HE the Deputy Premier and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Mahmoud said the decision to form the committee was taken after the Cabinet followed the directives of HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and studied the recommendations of committee formed to study the causes that led to the fire.

The blaze claimed the lives of 19 people, including 13 children, on May 28. The upscale mall which was shut down after the fire has remained closed since then.

HH the Heir Apparent had asked the Cabinet to work on implementing the recommendations of the committee as soon as possible.

HE the Minister of State for Interior Affairs and his accompanying delegation briefed the Cabinet on the technical report on the Villaggio tragedy. The Cabinet appreciated the efforts taken by the interior ministry to face the tragedy.

HE Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Mahmoud said that at the beginning of the meeting, the Cabinet condemned Israeli official statements that claimed the Al Aqsa Mosque as an integral part of the territory of Israel.

“The Cabinet considered that such provocative and irresponsible statements would raise emotions, increase tension in the region and adversely affect any effort to revive the stalled peace process over what constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and resolutions of international legitimacy.”

The Cabinet urged the international community to assume its responsibilities and pressurise Israel to halt illegal practices in the Judaisation of Jerusalem and obliterate its Arab and Islamic identity, and to recognise the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, particularly the right to establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The Cabinet also condemned the repression and genocide against the Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar and called upon the Government of Myanmar to stop these inhuman practices. It also urged the international community to protect Muslims in Myanmar and to speed up the relief operations.

According to HE al-Mahmoud, the Cabinet took the necessary actions to issue a draft law that amends some of the provisions of Law No. 11 of 2003 on establishing State Incentives and Encouragement Awards for Literature, Arts and Sciences on the recommendations of the Advisory (Shura) Council.

It approved a draft law to issue a unified system for combating anti-dumping and countervailing measures in the GCC and also approved HE the Minister of Energy and Industry’s draft law to issue the regulations of the unified law for combating anti-dumping and countervailing measures in the GCC.

Among the other decisions taken are: Approve the Cabinet’s draft decision endorsing the Board of Directors Qatar Petroleum decision No. (14) of 2012 on certain agreements for the issuance of bonds ; Draft decision of the Minister of Environment defining fees for services of laboratories and standardisation; Draft decision of the Minister of Environment on prices of selling manure.

The Cabinet reviewed several other topics and took the appropriate decisions. They included a letter on the outcome of the 45th meeting of the GCC Commercial Co-operation Committee by HE the Minister of Business and Trade (Riyadh in May 2012; Memo on the outcome of the 37th Session of the Arab Ministers of Health Council by HE Minister of Public Health and the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Health (Oman March 2012).