MAYASSA MEETS LOUVRE MUSEUM HEAD

Gulf Times, Qatar
April 17 2007

HE Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad al-Thani meeting Louvre Museum president
and director general Henri Loyrette in Paris PARIS: HE Sheikha
Mayassa bint Hamad al-Thani, chairperson of the board of trustees
of the Qatar Museums Authority, met here yesterday the president and
director general of the Louvre Museum, Henri Loyrette.

During the meeting, they reviewed means of promoting co-operation
in museums.

The meeting was attended by HE Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah, member
of the board of trustees; HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassem al-Thani; HE
Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali al-Thani, deputy chairman of board
of trustees; Qatar Ambassador to France Mohamed Jaham al-Kuwari;
and Dr Sabiha al-Khamir, director of the Islamic Art Museum.

Later, HE Sheikha Mayassa toured the Armenian section currently being
staged at the Louvre Museum where she was briefed on the sculptures,
rocks, metal pieces, books and the antiquities showcasing the Armenian
history and civilisation.

Sheikha Mayassa also met at the French Foreign Ministry premises
with a group of thinkers specialised in Middle East history, artists
and painters.

Talks during the meeting dealt with the role of Arab thinkers in
portraying Arab civilisation and means of achieving rapprochement
and liaison between the East and the West.

The group of thinkers comprises Amin Maalouf, Tahir bin Jalloun,
Suleiman Zaqhidour and Ghassan Salama.

Later, Sheikha Mayassa met French Minister of Culture and
Communications Renaud Donne Deiu de Vabres.

Discussion during the meeting dealt with means of enhancing and
promoting relations between the two countries, particularly in the
cultural domains.

Sheikha Mayassa also paid a visit to the French National Museum
of Natural History. She met the president and director general of
museum, who briefed her on phases of the museum’s construction and
its contents.

She toured the sections of the museum.