PARIS (Standard&Poor's) Nov. 18, 2009--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today it had assigned its 'AA-' senior unsecured debt rating to the State of Qatar's (AA-/Stable/A-1+) $7 billion global bond issue. The fixed-rate notes have three tranches: a $3.5 billion 4.0% tranche maturing Jan. 20, 2015; a $2.5 billion 5.25% tranche maturing Jan. 20, 2020; and a $1 billion 6.4% tranche maturing Jan. 20, 2040. The proceeds of the bonds will help the State of Qatar's general financing, and will be used in areas such as contingency funding for entities that the state owns or controls, and infrastructure investments funding in and outside the hydrocarbon sector. "The ratings on Qatar are supported primarily by the country's solid fiscal
