The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani received an apology in the High Court of Justice from the UK-based Arabic daily Asharq Al Awsat for publishing unfounded allegations. The PM’s solicitor Cameron Doley of Carter-Ruck told Justice Eady that Asharq Al Awsat published three articles during the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon in 2006, which contained false allegations against Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem. The first article suggested that the PM had travelled to the Arab Foreign Ministers'' conference held in Beirut in August 2006 via Israel and that, while in Israel, he held discussions with the Israeli Cabinet. The second and third article repeated these allegations and suggested that Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem’s denial of its original story was not true. The third article was written personally by the Editor-in-Chief of Asharq Al Awsat. Doley informed the Judge that the daily now accepted that these allegations were not true. Aidan Eardley, Counsel for Asharq Al Awsat, told Justice Eady that the publishers and editor of the Saudi-owned newspaper accepted everything Doley had said. They apologised before the court to Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem for the embarrassment caused by the offending articles and would be repeating the apology on the pages of Asharq Al Awsat.

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