DOHA: Qatar says it does not consider Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation and it is rather a political outfit that practices democracy.
That said, however, Qatar does not support the Muslim Brotherhood and has no quarrel with Egypt.
“Our differences (with Egypt) are differences only as regards our views,” said Foreign Minister H E Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah. “Qatar does not consider the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation but as a political party that practices democracy,” he said.
What is really important for Qatar is that Egypt remains strong and stable as an important part of the Arab world.
“We wish that Arab countries leave these issues behind them and focus on those that pose danger to them,” said the FM in an interview published by Al Sharq yesterday, reports Qatar News Agency (QNA).
Al Attiyah said Qatar’s relations with its GCC peers are strong and cordial, noting that the differences of opinion do not spoil intimacy and do not change the nature of unity and coherence of the GCC as a system.
Speaking about “Operation Decisive Storm”, Al Attiyah said that the UN Security Council Resolution 2216 represents a confirmation for the GCC decision and for the request of Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi to intervene to protect the legitimate in Yemen.
He said that the GCC countries are working to preserve the full legitimacy on the basis of the Gulf initiative, and on the basis of national dialogue and Security Council resolutions related outputs, pointing out that the GCC success in helping the brothers in Yemen to protect the legitimacy based on these principles will lead to a solution to the crisis in Yemen soon.
Asked about the implications of the “Operation Decisive Storm” and Iran’s reaction to defend the Houthis, the Foreign Minister said that Houthis are part of the Yemeni people, part of them drift behind former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and that enabled them to tamper with legitimacy and control the capabilities of Yemen, but they were surprised today by the “Decisive Storm” at the request of the legitimate president.
He added that the “Operation Decisive Storm” gave them an inevitable choice, namely the reverse of their actions which almost led to the fall of Yemen into the abyss.
The Foreign Minister called on Houthis to withdraw from Sana’a and cities that have been tampered with since before 2013, and to resort to legitimacy through the recognition of President Hadi and to obey his orders, to return to the dialogue table, and to implement the outcome of the GCC initiative and the national dialogue, and complete the rest of the steps that have been reached before the coup in September 2014.
On the Iranian nuclear file, the Foreign Minister confirmed that the GCC countries will not oppose any agreement with Iran that ensures the peaceful use of nuclear energy and prevents any military use, stressing that the security of the Gulf is the responsibility of the GCC people and they are able to protect their security.
He noted that the GCC countries welcomed the 5+1 framework agreement with Iran. Eventually, what is really important to the GCC countries is to reach a clear, durable and explicit agreement that ensures the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Speaking about the Syrian crisis, the Foreign Minister said that the Syrian people chose to demand justice and freedom and faced the military machine in the first six months alone without any help. He hoped to reach a political solution based on the decisions of the Geneva 1.
Al Attiyah added that the Friends of Syria are now in a better position than before, which allow them to support the Syrian revolution and to exert pressure on the Syrian regime in order to reach a political solution that does not involve Assad because he is not a part of Syria’s future, stressing that the Syrian people is able to bring life, stability and interdependence among all ethnicities and parties in Syria.
The Foreign Minister underlined that the Palestinian issue remains Qatar’s and all Arabs first and central issue. He stressed that the Arab countries and the international community must find a solution to stop the suffering of the Palestinian people and allow them to live in dignity like other peoples of the world, and to put an end to the occupation and settlement operations.
The Peninsula
