DOHA: Qatar believes in peaceful coexistence particularly as a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) but sometimes to achieve common goals it is difficult for member states to agree on certain issues so differences of opinion crop up, said Qatar’s Ambassador to the US, Mohamed Jaham Al Kuwari.
Taking part in a meeting organised by the Centre for the National Interest in Washington, Al Kuwari focused on Qatar’s foreign policy and its role in conflict resolution and said Doha follows an independent policy in a very complex region.
He said Qatar aspired to achieve sustainable development in the Arab world and strengthen Arab national unity, pointing out that its active membership in regional organisations such as Arab League, GCC and Organisation of the Islamic Conference is inspired by this viewpoint.
According to QNA, Al Kuwari also spoke about Qatar’s vision of Arab League and said the expansion of Arab cooperation through the League provides a framework for securing solutions to outstanding issues since the colonisation resistance stage, especially the recognition of an independent state for the Palestinians with East Jerusalem as their capital.
He said Qatar is working with the United Nations and other international organisations which reflected Doha’s commitment to providing assistance to rebuild Gaza and help the Palestinian people in the Strip and the West Bank without any political goals.
On relations with the US, he said Qatar is an important security partner of the US and is seeking to play the role of a bridge (of communication) between the East and the West.
Al Kuwari said Qatar’s initiatives qualify it to play a mediating role and find solutions to conflicts to ensure the interests of all concerned parties, explaining that the purpose of diplomacy is to open communication channels in the region.
He said amid regime changes in Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Yemen and Libya in the wake of ‘Arab Spring’ events, the people of these countries were aspiring to achieve democracy.
So it was incumbent on these governments to protect their citizens. However, when this didn’t happen and the regimes used violence against their people, Qatar stood with the peoples, he said.
He also stressed the need to differentiate between illegal Islamic parties and terrorist groups, pointing out that Islamic parties like Ennahda in Tunisia and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt are compared to Christian Democratic parties in Europe.
He pointed to the need not to isolate or marginalise such parties or subject their members to imprisonment or exile, for that leads to a political vacuum that allows the rise of groups such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
Al Kuwari said Qatar considers supporting democratic Islamic parties a means to counter extremism, and stressed the need for an integrated strategy and comprehensive dialogue to root out any roots of terrorist ideologies. Qatar will not tolerate terrorists or extremists who use violence, he added.
On the international coalition led by the US against militants, Al Kuwari said Qatar is committed to supporting international efforts in the fight against terrorism.
He also spoke about the requirements of the Qatari society and steps undertaken by the government to combat poverty, empower women, promote education (especially to eradicate illiteracy), support sport and provide more opportunities for Arab youth. The Peninsula
