Washington/ 28 June 2014/ Qatar's Ambassador to the United States, HE Mohammed Jaham Al-Kuwari, has addressed the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, focusing on the cross-border threats and means of addressing them through the need to develop early warning systems, and take immediate measures to avoid conflicts. HE Al-Kuwari said that according to the nature of the conflict and its causes, there are various measures to deal through the United Nations or regional organizations such as the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the African Union, as well as through initiatives of international figures or international humanitarian organizations. In case of detecting any threat emergency within the scope of the Arab countries, Qatar will be working hard to prevent it, through coordination with the Arab countries, or individual action if necessary, HE Al-Kuwari explained. He stated that in many situations, Qatar has taken preventive measures, referring to the 2008 Doha agreement which marked the end of the political crisis in Lebanon. With regard to the ongoing civil war in Syria, HE Al-Kuwari said that the escalation in the use of violence by the regime has ended the peaceful resistance as a realistic option. He pointed out that Qatar and other Arab countries sought to help the legitimate opposition, represented by the Free Syrian Army, considering that the eruption of civil war in Syria is a threat to the stability of the region, pointing to the turmoil in Iraq. In many cases, Qatar has provided assistance effectively, and succeeded in the release of some hostages by the rebel groups, HE Al-Kuwari said, referring in this regard to the release of the nuns kidnapped last year from the town of Maaloula in Syria and then transferred to Lebanon. Despite it's small size, Qatar has immense potential orientated in humanitarian relief efforts aimed at helping Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, and the displaced inside Syria, he said. HE Al-Kuwari added that Qatar's foreign policy depends on the efforts to prevent conflict, and if it fails, as it happened in Syria, it provided support for the legitimate opposition, and has supported the cause, which it considers fair, as well supporting the right of Palestinians to self-determination and an independent State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.