New York yesterday.
DOHA: The Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani yesterday called on the international community to redouble efforts to fight the rising menace of terrorism but said such efforts will not succeed if people are not convinced “that it is their war, and not a war to stabilise a regime that is oppressing them”.
Addressing the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, the Emir dealt with burning issues in the region, including Palestine, Iraq and Syria.
The Emir said “there is no civilisation that has not known terrorism in the modern era. In the case of the affected Arab and Islamic societies, terrorism affects innocent people, impoverishes our societies for it seeks to deprive them of humanitarian and religious diversity, blurs the real demands of the people, and offends the religion by superficial and anathematising interpretations. “
“Therefore we must all redouble our efforts to fight this phenomenon whatever its forms, target or source might be. It has been proven beyond doubt, that terrorism can only be defeated in its social environment. If societies are to stand with us in the fight against terrorism, we need to be fair with them and not push them to choose between terrorism and tyranny, or between terrorism and sectarian discrimination,” said the Emir. “We cannot succeed in the war on terrorism if the people are not satisfied that it is their war, and not a war to stabilise a regime that is oppressing them,” he added.
The Syrian people have suffered from tyranny and terrorism. The international community did not listen to the cries for help of the Iraqi people who were themselves the first victims of terrorism in Iraq.
But the people who fought terrorism and defeated it, found themselves prone to marginalisation and abuse by terrorist sectarian militias. It is hence imperative to persuade the Iraqi people that they would not pay the price a thousand times, and that when they defend their homeland they are merely defending their rights, dignity and freedom, which must be upheld.
“In this context, the international community needs to stand firmly beside brotherly Iraq to confront terrorism, end its ordeal. Preserving its sovereignty, territorial integrity and diversity of sects can only be achieved by defusing sectarian conflict and achieving Iraqi reconciliation that lays the foundations for a society free of sectarian and ethnic conflicts, with the participation of all the political forces without exclusion of any party,” said the Emir.
The Emir called on the international community to compel Israel to respect the UN resolutions.
“The conscience of mankind has been deeply shocked by the tragic pictures and unprecedented realities that the world has seen during the aggression on Gaza and targeting of civilians…. The arrogance of power will not overcome the resistance of the Palestinian people. I salute the steadfastness of the resistance of the Palestinian people in Gaza in the face of the occupation and in insisting on regaining its legitimate rights,” said the Emir.
“The international community’s response to the aspirations of the Palestinian people to freedom and national independence is a prerequisite to confirm the justice of international legitimacy, especially since the question of Palestine is the last remaining issue on the decolonisation agenda. In this context, temporary solutions and piecemeal settlements have proven to be useless and unacceptable. Israel’s intransigence compels us to refer to the United Nations as a framework that accommodates all parties,” he added.
On Syria, the Emir said: “We reiterate the call for the Security Council to promptly shoulder its legal and humanitarian responsibility and support the Syrian people against both dangers posed by the terrorism of the regime and the crimes of genocide it is perpetrating, and by the terrorist forces that took advantage of the misery and bitterness and the absence of the state and the international community. The first danger has begotten the second,” he added.
He called on all Libyan political forces “to follow the path of national dialogue to hammer out a formula for the regime they want that meets the aspirations of the Libyan people, who gave so much for freedom.”
The Emir drew attention to the successful democratic experience in Tunisia and Yemen but said it seems there are forces who are joining their ranks in an attempt to thwart that experiment in Yemen. “Some of them oppose any change at all and would have preferred time would go back, and some offer sectarian conflict, and sectarian and factional interests instead of justice and good governance for Yemen. Experience has shown that the use of violence and political action from a factional or sectarian perspective does not lead to a change towards a better system of governance, but poses a threat to the political entity itself,” said the Emir.
“We call on the Yemeni brothers to preserve the achievements of the young people, and the achievements of the national dialogue, and their wisdom, and not to abandon what they have accomplished, and not to allow anyone to drag them through factional violence. We also call upon the UN to work on implementing its decisions on the achievements of the national dialogue, including the rebuilding of the army to be able to defend the legitimate institutions, and to stop the phenomenon of armed militias in Yemen. It is clear that such forces would lead to civil strife and derail the process of peaceful transition,” said the Emir.
He said Qatar will continue its efforts to build a partnership with the United Nations, to adopt a post -2015 development plan that meets the aspirations of the peoples of all countries and regional blocs.
QNA/The Peninsula
