Al-Attiyah opened his heart and spoke in all the files for the episode (15/07/2022) of the “The Other Side” program, and went through the stages of his long life, starting from his childhood and ending with the period in which he held ministerial positions and the tasks, projects and achievements that contributed to achieving what he described Qatar's economic miracle.

In his childhood, Al-Attiyah reveals that he assumed responsibility for a family at the age of 12 after the death of his father, and his mother and grandmother from his father’s side took over his education and his seven brothers (4 boys and 3 girls) until they all graduated from universities.

After he moved in 1970 to the United States of America to study, he returned to Qatar in 1972 with the intention of visiting, but his friend "Father Emir" Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa refused to allow him to return, and insisted on him staying in Qatar to help him in its service and development.

Godfather of the dam

Al-Attiyah achieved successive achievements in the stages of his life, including the establishment of the Qatari Al-Sadd Club in 1969, and at that time he was not more than 17 years old. tea.

Al-Attiyah confirms that the Father Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, had a very big role in the establishment of Al-Sadd Club, along with a group of other Qatari personalities, including Abdullah bin Muhammad Al-Attiyah, Muhammad bin Khalifa Al-Attiyah, Muhammad Al-Mubarak Al-Ali, Nasser bin Mubarak Al-Ali and others, and reveals that The club used to receive only 1,500 Qatari riyals annually from the Supreme Sports Committee, and that the players were paying subscriptions, and despite that, the club grew and achieved championships, and it was the first Arab and Gulf club to win the Asian Cup title.

The achievements of the former Qatari Minister of Energy and Industry continued after he assumed the position of Minister of Energy and Industry in 1992, as he was able to overcome the difficulties and challenges he faced during that period.

He asserts that his appointment as Minister of Energy and Industry was at the height of an economic crisis that Qatar experienced, as oil prices collapsed in 1992 to less than 10 dollars, and Qatari production fell very significantly from 600,000 barrels to 400,000 or 350,000 barrels per day.

And about that difficult period, he tells that the Father Emir assigned him to do what he saw fit to continue and develop work in energy, and not to return to the state to request support for projects because there were no funds.

The former Qatari minister adds that they were able to bypass that stage and implement very large projects that achieved the Qatari miracle, including the project to convert gas to liquid and export it to Japan. He said that Qatar adhered to the contract signed with Japan, which lasted 25 years.

Gas for the Emirates during the boycott of Qatar

The Qatari strategy was not limited to exporting gas to global markets, but was keen to build a partnership with the brothers in the Gulf Cooperation Council, including supplying Abu Dhabi with gas, a project that has continued until today, adding that even during the period in which Gulf and Arab countries boycotted Qatar, the UAE was It buys Qatari gas, which contradicts the accusations of these countries of financing terrorism.

Al-Attiyah also talked about the project to supply Kuwait with Qatari natural gas, and revealed that the late Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, visited Saudi Arabia several times to convince it of the project, but she refused, explaining that he did not know the reason for the Saudis’ refusal, and that Qatar sold the quantity that was intended for Kuwait.

On the other hand, Al-Attiyah also spoke with pain and patience about the disease of dry lungs that afflicted him in 2018, and how his condition worsened greatly on his way to the French capital, Paris, and he almost fell into a coma while on the plane. He was supervising his treatment that his lungs had completely stopped working, and that the operation was absolutely necessary.

The former Qatari minister described his condition at the time as being like a living dead person.

Al-Attiyah was transferred to the British capital, London, and it was decided to perform the surgery after bringing the lungs from Doha, and he confirms that at that stage he was not afraid of his belief that death is right, but he could not hold back his tears when he spoke about the message he sent via Instagram to the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim and to the Emir The father, and the Qatari people and residents, stated, "The operation has been decided, and I am going to conduct it now."

With much gratitude, Al-Attiyah talks about the sympathy he received from everyone, led by the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who said that he had been friends with him since his childhood, and that he encouraged him a lot to make the decision to perform the surgery, and also visited him after the success of the operation, as well as Amir Qatar Sheikh Tamim.

He also revealed that the late Palestinian official, Saeb Erekat, had contacted him before the operation in order to relieve him and tell him about his experience with this operation, which he undertook a year ago.

Other aspects

The Qatari guest returns to the Gulf crisis and to his position, which at the time sparked controversy, as he stated that he was ready to allocate a prize to whoever finds the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, because he remained terribly silent and only appeared when reading statements for the benefit of some countries, even though Qatar is a member of the Council. His mission is to be balanced with everyone, and Al-Attiyah says about this crisis that 3 Gulf countries did not know what was happening, and 3 others wanted to invade a sister country.

He also talked about his decision to prevent the cooperation of Qatar Petroleum and its subsidiaries with a contracting company founded by his son Hamad, who graduated in the United States of America with a major in mechanical engineering, and confirms that the decision he took was aimed at fighting favoritism.

Among the hidden aspects that the former Qatari minister reveals is that he is a fan of the Lebanese singer Fairuz, who describes her voice as angelic.