Excitement in the air as Qatar prepares for OIC summit

There is excitement in the air for the tiny state's 550,000 plus population of Qataris and expatriates as the summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference nears, the first gathering of this size here.
Roads have been covered with a gleaming black coat of asphalt, lit-up arches and decorative structures now sprinkle the main thoroughfares and new hotels have sprung up.
But some worry how their daily lives will be affected when tens of Islamic world leaders, their entourages, hundreds of officials and hordes of journalists descend on the country.
Most hope the government would declare the days of the summit a holiday and spare everyone hassles like congested traffic.
Foreign ministers will meet before the heads of state to work out things like the summit's agenda and the final declaration, then the leaders and representatives from 56 Muslim countries and leaders of various international organisations, including United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, will start their meetings November 12-14.
During this ninth summit, Qatar will take over the chairmanship of the organisation from Iran for a three-year term.
The gathering is expected to focus on the violence in the Palestinians territories which has somewhat abated following more than a month of clashes during which more than 170 Palestinians were killed. Qatar has been called upon to shut the Israeli trade office which was established in Doha in 1996. The government has said it would mull the decision.
Abdullah Issa Al Khalfan, a senior official with Qatar's Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is eager for the summit to end on a strong note.
"Qataris are looking forward to the summit with great interest and expect very strong decisions from it to counter the Jewish conspiracy against Muslims and their holy places in Jerusalem."
Another government official, Ahmed Hassan Al Mulla, expects the summit to reflect well on Qatar's standing in the world. "This will increase Qatar's profile in international politics."
But for others, summit or not, it is their daily routine that counts. "I hear they will be closing some major roads during the conference and I am worried about it. It will affect my business," says an Indian who runs a juice stall on the main Corniche in Doha.
Contacted for a comment, traffic police officials said all major roads will remain open to the public during the conference. "Traffic will only be diverted during the arrival and departure of foreign leaders and that also between the airport and the places they will stay," the officials told Gulf News.
The Doha airport is likely to be closed for commercial traffic on November 11 and 14, the arrival and departure dates of most foreign leaders. An official announcement is expected soon.
Meanwhile, arrangements to ensure a smooth going for the summit are still being carried out.
Sheraton Doha's Dafna Hall, where the summit will be held, has already been refurbished. "The Dafna Hall, with a capacity to seat 3,000 people, is one of the biggest conference centres in the Middle East," Sheraton Hotel's Public Relations Coordinator Rumyanka Tzolova said yesterday. "And It is ready for the summit."
The panel in charge of the summit's paper work is reported to have stocked 500,000 sheets of paper for reproducing various documents like declarations, communiques and speeches of the Doha conference and of the previous eight ones starting from Rabat in 1974 to the last one held in Tehran in 1997.