London / Information Office / June 09  

HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Monday that the State of Qatar and other countries are urging Iran and the U.S. to de-escalation, calling on both sides to meet and find a compromise.

"We believe that at one point there should an engagement - it cannot last forever like this," HE the Foreign Minister told reporters in London.

"Since they are not willing to engage in further escalation, they should come up with ideas that open the doors," His Excellency added.

HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said that several countries including the State of Qatar, Oman, Iraq, and Japan had been urging de-escalation with the two sides.

HE the Foreign Minister said, "All these countries are concerned what escalation could lead to," adding, "There were attempts by Qatar and by other countries in the region to de-escalate the situation: we have been speaking to the U.S. and we have been talking to the Iranians as well."

"What we are trying to do is really to bridge the gap and create a conversation between the two parties as escalation is not going to benefit anyone in the region," HE the Foreign Minister said.