Qatar's Prime Minister says momentum returning to Gaza ceasefire efforts
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said following US elections, momentum had returned to negotiations aimed at reaching a truce in the Gaza Strip.
Sheikh Mohammed, during a dialogue session at the Doha Forum titled ‘Conflict Resolution in a New Era,’ said negotiations were picking up pace, and there was a lot of encouragement from the next US administration to reach an agreement, even before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
During a panel discussion at @DohaForum, I stressed that the absence of real security makes addressing broader issues such as development, climate action, & human rights, secondary, with the need to resolving conflicts & using regional platforms to enhance stability. pic.twitter.com/GJEdozNtLP
— محمد بن عبدالرحمن (@MBA_AlThani_) December 8, 2024
The Qatari minister said there would be some differences in the approaches of the administration of President Joe Biden and Trump to certain issues.
“This approach affects the decisions taken and what happens on the ground. However, we haven’t noticed any differences or rejection by the new administration regarding the main goal, which is to end the war in Gaza,” he said.
Sheikh Mohammed pointed out that the momentum of negotiations had slackened significantly in the last days before the US elections. He said there was no real will or readiness to reach a conclusion to the events that were sweeping the Strip.
He said the points of difference between Hamas and Israel were not big and not of a magnitude that would affect negotiations.
“The question is simple: Is there a will to end the war? Yes or no? And is there a will to reach an exchange deal? Yes or no?” he said.
Regarding the developments in Syria, Sheikh Mohammed said there were two main factors related to what is taking place in Syria.
“The first factor was expected, given the current events in Gaza. Qatar had warned against the expansion of the conflict and the consequences of the war in Gaza on the entire region,” he said.
“We’ve seen the extension of this conflict to Lebanon, the Red Sea, and other areas within the Middle East. So it’s wrong to consider that Syria is immune to this conflict,” he said.
“The second factor is related to ignoring the situation in Syria. There was a golden opportunity — during periods of calm between fighting — for Bashar Al Assad to begin correcting his relationship with his people. But this opportunity wasn’t seized. They didn’t notice any serious movement, with regard to the return of refugees or displaced persons or reconciliation,” he said.
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