In the name of Allah, most gracious, most merciful
Your Excellencies,
ladies and gentlemen,
honorable audience,
As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi taala wa barakatu
I am pleased at the beginning to welcome you in your second country Qatar, wishing you a pleasant stay and a successful conference.
Your prestigious organization was established about 30 years ago to strengthen the ties of fraternity and brotherhood between the member capitals and cities and safeguard their identity and heritage and to further and expand the scope of cooperation between them. One of the most outstanding objectives of your esteemed organization is to develop comprehensive urbanization planning criteria and standards to further growth, development and prosperity, and to upgrade the economic, social, cultural, environmental and constructional conditions of the member capitals and cities. Therefore, the convention of the 12th session of the conference of your esteemed organization on this good land comes in an important stage in the history of our Islamic capitals and cities which are in compelling need to safeguard their Islamic identity and heritage amid the challenges of modernization.

Ladies and gentlemen,
The world of today is teeming with successive developments in various political, economic, social, cultural, scientific, environmental, constructional and other fields and this of course affects the conditions and positions of our Islamic cities.
Our cities should keep pace with this development for the benefit of their dwellers, without compromising their Islamic identity and heritage which stand witness to their history and civilized development.
We, in the state of Qatar, and at the lofty directives of HH the Emir of Qatar and HH the Heir Apparent, are keen to preserve our national Islamic and Arab identity in all the urbanization projects we plan for the Qatari cities, villages and neighborhoods. Our belief in the viability of this firm approach is based on the conciliation between the history and identity on one side, and the requirements of living in modern times, on the other.

Ladies and gentlemen,
I welcome you once again in your second homeland, Qatar, wishing you every success in all the issues you will discuss and the recommendations you are going to make for the benefit of our Islamic capitals and cities.
Wa alsalam alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatu