HE Al Muraikhi: Dialogue Key to Settlement of Global Disputes
Doha/Information Office/21 November 2016/ The State of Qatar believes in dialogue as the main principal in handling issues and disputes, the ideal means of exchanging views in global political challenges, and the guide towards achieving national settlements for stability and, thus, consolidating the rule of law and establishing good governance, HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi said as he addressed the ninth World Policy Conference, currently underway in Doha.
HE the minister said the current global challenges are continuous, expanding and recurring and get more complex every day, which requires more collective cooperation so as to achieve global peace.
The minister added that Qatar is an advocate of peace and believes in a joint fate for all the peoples and the human origins that bring people together regardless of their races, beliefs, languages and culture.
He said that people are all partners in the right to live, and in the ownership of the planet and to protect it by tackling challenges and coming up with solutions and building human values.
The risks of instability and the absence of law anywhere affect states and societies, he said, adding that the effects of political conflicts and disputes as well extremism and the absence of the rule of law are no longer exclusive to a single place or culture.
HE Al Muraikhi said Qatar insists to be a power for the good of the world and has worked through mediation to achieve stability in several areas of the world where conflicts and disputes are present.
Qatar has offered aid to countries going through post-conflict transitional periods and supported reform in many countries out of belief that reconciliation and national settlements are the way towards stability and paving the way for the rule of law, he said.
The political instability in the Arab world is a source of concern for Qatar, the minister said, adding that the reasons differ from one country to another. He noted that the rule of law is always absent wherever there are ethnic or sectarian conflicts, extremist groups, tribal fanaticism, terrorism, and wars.
He said that whole nations get destroyed and peoples displaced, and hence, they flee under pressure to other areas such as Europe, creating other problems rather than solving the main one.
HE Al Muraikhi said that the absence of a solution to the Palestinian issue since 1948 did not make Palestinian refugees forget about their villages and cities, stressing that it is about time the international society recognizes the right of an independent Palestinian state to exist with Jerusalem as its capital.
The 68-year-old conflict in Palestine is legal in nature, the minister said, adding that Israel continues to refuse to listen to international law and implement several Security Council resolutions. The consequent Israeli governments opted to use force and violence against the Palestinian people instead of addressing their legitimate demands that are backed by the international law.
As for Yemen, the Qatari minister said a coup occurred there against a legitimate elected government, which also means the issue is legal in nature, while the current war would have never happened if it those who carried out the coup haven't violated the law that compels all sides to respect the legitimate government.
In Syria, HE Al Muraikhi said, peaceful demonstrations calling for reform and basic freedoms have turned into full-fledged war for five years because the regime refused to respect its own laws and human rights by listening to the demands of the people, opting instead to use military force against peaceful protesters.
The situation in all these countries as well as others calls for a review to the global stance towards them and whether enough has been done to stop the destruction and bring hope and stability back to these peoples, the minister said.
He added that the law has been violated in each of these cases, resulting in chaos, which can only be stopped through comprehensive national settlement and restoring the rule of law.
The minister of state for foreign affairs said that the political chaos that is created by some regional and international powers have led to the erosion of the sovereignty of weak states and their inability to defend the citizen's right to a decent living. That is what is really happening in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya and Palestine, and others, HE Al Muraikhi said.
HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi stressed that the negativity of some forces in dealing with these crises was just as dangerous. Such forces work on inciting some parties in the crisis for short-term benefits.
His Excellency called for peace talks in the Middle-East to put an end to the fighting and focus on development. HE the Minister of State also called on restarting negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians to find, under the supervision of the United Nations and in line with resolutions 242 338, a final and comprehensive solution to the struggle.
He also stressed on the importance of continuing negotiations on the Syrian crisis to reach, at least, a result that protects the lives of civilians and end the killing and destruction. Negotiations should also focus on political progress in line with Geneva 1 while maintaining the sovereignty and independence. Al Muraikhi added that they were aware there was no military solution to the crisis, nor is there one in Yemen or Libya.
His Excellency called on Yemenis to resume talks that started in Kuwait. He stressed on the importance of ending hostilities and responding to the efforts of the United Nations. He added that it was not possible for any force of dictating events, noting that a compromise must be reached in line with the GCC initiative and implementing related United Nations decision including resolution no. 2216.
HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs extended his invitation to the Libyans, calling on them focus on the national interest rather than short-term ones and endorsing the national unity government which has international support.
He added that the State of Qatar continues to work on enhancing the culture of dialogue and cooperation. He added that Qatar's commitment to peace is a right of life in line with the rule of law. He stressed that Qatar believes in the rule of law as a founding principle for any state and so should extend to international relations.
He condemned the interference of some regional and international forces in the internal affairs of countries in the Middle-East. He added that these practices fed extremists and terrorists, regardless of their religious claims, and allowed them to destroy life in every place they occupied.
HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said that Qatar will continue to cooperate with allies to boost counter-terrorism efforts wherever terrorism is. He noted that terrorists have no religion nor country. He added that ending the threat of terrorism requires an international strategy that takes into consideration poverty, ignorance and unemployment.
In concluding his remarks, HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said that the goal of organizing the conference, ever since it was held in France in 2008, was to enhance dialogue and cooperation between world leaders.