Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The new emir of Qatar has sought to demonstrate that he
would not allow others to speak for him, a report said.

Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani used his first full day in office to fire
longtime prime minister, Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani, known in the West as
HBJ.

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy asserted that the 33-year-old Tamim wanted to signal to the international community that he would now be making decisions in Qatar.

“In addition, differences had apparently emerged between Tamim and HBJ, who had assumed a dominant presence in the Qatari government and was often mistaken by foreigners as the ruler,” the report, titled “Qatar’s New Leader Replaces Long-Serving Prime Minister, said. “While Emir Hamad regarded such confusion as amusing, the joke is now clearly over.”

In his first address, Tamim pledged to continue the policy of his
father. The new emir appointed Khalid Bin Mohammed Al Attiyah as foreign
minister.

“[He] is widely regarded as the point man for the country’s support of
opposition fighters in Syria,” the report said.

Author Simon Henderson, regarded as a leading analyst on the Gulf, said
the ousted prime minister was a longtime interlocutor with the United
States. Hamad, said to have promoted U.S. military relations with Doha,
served as prime minister since 2007 and foreign minister since 1992.

“It is not clear whether HBJ, the outgoing prime minister, will remain
chief executive of the state-owned Qatar Investment Authority, the emirate’s
sovereign wealth fund,” the report said. “Chaired by Emir Tamim, the QIA
holds more than $100 billion in assets, including stakes in Qatar National
Bank, the London store Harrods, the oil company Royal Dutch Shell, a French
soccer team, and prominent new buildings in major cities, including the
Shard in London.”

Dated June 26, the report echoed other Western assessments in
questioning the authority of the new emir.

Henderson said Tamim appointed a Cabinet comprised of the younger generation of Qataris. He cited the
appointment of the new prime minister, Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa, the
deputy interior minister in the last Cabinet.

“In his new role, he will also take on the more senior portfolio of
interior minister,” the report said.

  Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatar Investment Authority, Report: New Qatari emir seeks to signal he’s really in charge, Washington Institute for Near East Policy