Qatar's Ambassador to US: Qatar Follows Independent Policy

Washington, November 09 (QNA) - HE Qatar's Ambassador to the United States Mohammed Jaham Al Kuwari has stressed the importance of the bilateral relations between Qatar and the US, pointing to the special partnership between Washington and Doha, especially on the security front. During his participation in a meeting organized by the Center for the National Interest in Washington, DC, Ambassador Al Kuwari focused on Qatar's foreign policy and its role in conflict resolution, saying that Doha follows an independent policy in a very complex area. He noted to Qatar's aspirations in achieving sustainable development in the Arab world and strengthening the issue of the Arab national unity, pointing out that Qatar's active membership in a number of regional organizations such as the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) comes from this point. HE spoke about Qatar's vision of the Arab League, saying that the expansion of Arab cooperation through this edifice provides a framework for securing the solution to the outstanding issues since the colonisation resistance stage, especially the recognition of an independent state for the Palestinians with East Jerusalem as its capital. By working with the United Nations and other international organizations, Al Kuwari stressed Qatar's commitment to providing necessary assistance to rebuild Gaza and help the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank without any political goals. Speaking about the bilateral relations between Qatar and the United States, HE pointed out that Qatar is an important security partner for the United States and is seeking to play a bridge of communication between the East and the West. HE Ambassador Al Kuwari said that Qatar's initiatives qualify it to play a mediating role and to find solutions to the conflicts, in order to ensure the interests of all concerned parties, explaining the purpose of the diplomacy of the open communication channels in the region. HE Al Kuwari noted to the changes that have occurred on the regimes in Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Yemen and Libya in the wake of the events of the "Arab Spring", stressing that the people of those countries were aspiring to achieve the democratic process. He added that it was incumbent on the governments of those countries to protect its citizens. However, when this was violated and the regimes used violence against their people, Qatar stood with the peoples, he said. He also emphasised on the need to distinguish 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 the Christian Democratic parties in Europe, stressing the need not to isolate or marginalize these parties or exposing its members to prison or exile which will lead to the political vacuum that allowed the rise of groups such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). In this context, HE the Ambassador said that Qatar conceders the supporting of democratic Islamic parties a mean to counter extremism, pointing to the need for an integrated strategy and comprehensive dialogue to root out any roots of terrorist ideologies in the future, stressing that Qatar will not tolerate terrorists or extremists who use violence. About the international coalition led by the United States against militants, Al Kuwari said Qatar's is committed to supporting international efforts in the fight against terrorism. At the end of the meeting, HE Qatar's Ambassador to the United States Mohammed Jaham Al Kuwari talked about the requirements of the Qatari society and the steps undertaken by the Qatari government in the areas of combating poverty, empowering women, promoting education (especially towards illiteracy eradication), supporting sport and providing a wider range of opportunities for Arab youth. (QNA)