Success of COP18 reflects Qatar’s diplomacy: Attiyah

QNA/WarsawHE the Chairman of the Administrative Control and Transparency Authority and President of the UN COP18 Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah has stressed that the success of COP18 in Doha last year is yet another addition to Qatar’s multilateral diplomacy.Speaking in Warsaw as Qatar handed the presidency of COP19 to Poland, al-Attiyah said the Doha conference  achieved tangible progress in climate negotiations thanks to HH the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani’s wise policy, which HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has since followed. Al-Attiyah said he was keen during his tenure to respect the principles of transparency, impartiality and balance as pillars to work, and to take into account all the views and proposals raised so as to reach satisfactory consensus for all parties. Al-Attiyah also congratulated Poland on its 95th independence anniversary, wishing it more progress and prosperity. He also hailed the efforts and preparations of the country in hosting the event. As he spoke of the COP18 achievements, al-Attiyah said the outcome of the Doha conference supports what governments, institutions and individuals seek in preserving the planet and limiting the negative effects of climate change. The COP19 opening ceremony was attended by HE the Minister of Environment Ahmed Amer Mohamed al-Humaidi, Qatar’s Ambassador to Poland Hadi Nasser Mansour al-Hajri, and members of the official delegation accompanying al-Attiyah. Earlier,  al-Attiyah  chaired the first meeting of the executive office of the climate change conference here yesterday. UNFCCC executive secretary Christiana Figueres attended the meeting.  Addressing the meeting al-Attiyah noted that the international community agreed to a second term of the Kyoto protocol, during COP18 which was held in Qatar.  He stressed the importance of following through with the resolutions of the Doha climate conference, if the executive office is looking to reach another global agreement in 2015. The meeting discussed a number of important topics on the agenda of the conference. The meeting was attended by Qatar’s Ambassador to Poland Mansour Hadi Nasser al-Hajri, and members of the delegation accompanying al-Attiyah. Members of the bureau expressed their thanks to the State of Qatar for hosting COP 18 last year and for the efforts HE al-Attiyah in making the conference a success.