Call to protect civilians during political conflicts

4.11.17

par The Peninsula

Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said that there is failure in international system to address needs of civilians and protection of civilians from becoming part of any political conflicts.
He said that in 21st century, there was no enforcement system to protect civilians in political conflicts. “Qataris are facing problems like other civilians in Syria, Iraq, Yemen though their level of difficulties is not same. Over 26,000 human rights violations which torn apart families is a serious thing. We have to provide protection to our people,” he said while addressing World Policy Conference in the Moroccan city of Marrakech.

He said that it is a global challenge for which recommendations should come up from World Policy Conference. The Foreign Minister said that Qatar’s challenge was similar but its level was not same. “We hope it will not reach that level. Soon very soon it will be resolved.”

Foreign Minister further said that Qatar has always been calling for dialogue to resolve political disputes and had brokered around 10 peace deals in various parts of the world. The minister said that engagement and dialogue was the best way forward to resolve any crisis including current Gulf crisis. Any escalation would hit the entire region and the region cannot afford it. “Wisdom will prevail and those countries which are trying to avoid engagement will come to the table of talks.”

The minister said that no problem or political issue was ever resolved in battlefield or through confrontation. The siege badly affecting global war against terrorism and Daesh.

He said Qatar is enjoying strong relations with US which were not limited to military field but also in other fields like economy, investment, education. He said Qatar is hosting 11,000 US troops. “The US is consistent in its stance that the crisis should be resolved.”

He said that Qatar allies and friends are standing with Qatar and the US and other allies of Qatar had rejected the blockade. The said that the other party in the dispute was not willing to sit on the table and could not be asked to do so by force by any other country. “Qatar will be there waiting for them with allies and friends whenever siege countries will come to the table for engagement.”

To another question, the minister said that Qatar had very strong, strategic relations with Turkey and it has military relations with other countries like France, UK. “Turkey is an important country in the region and Qatar’s military relations with Turkey are broad based and they do not confront with our relations with our other allies,” he said, adding that Turkey will remain the strong ally of Qatar. He said that Qatar could not surrender its sovereignty. The minister said that demands cannot be imposed on a sovereign state. “If they have any concern, they sit and discuss with us as their security concerns our security concerns because we share same region.”
He said that Iran is a neighbouring country with which Qatar has differences on policies but Qatar believes that differences cannot be resolved through confrontation but through dialogue.

Qatar never supported Hamas Qatar always supported people in Gaza. “Hamas is a party which has position there in Gaza; the support is always very transparent and visible for everyone including Israeli government and they know very well where the money goes and they know this contribution in the peace.” He said that Qatar’s policy was to support the people and support reconstruction of the community as means of peace and stability and “we have witness this stability now since 2014”.

He said that Qatar was a facilitator for different engagements whether to end the two wars in Gaza in 2009 and 2014 and was facilitator of the national reconciliation which was the first step for any peace deal between the Palestinian and Israeli.

He said that whoever will broker a peace deal in Palestine, Qatar will welcome it.