DOHA: Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador H E Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani has affirmed Qatar’s keenness to inform the UN Security Council member states of what it believes that affects its peace and security and the surroundings in which it lives.
The State of Qatar will also inform them about the circumstances prompted it to send two consecutive letters to the United Nations on two incidents of air violations by UAE in order to document this information.
In a press statement on the sidelines of the Doha Regional Dialogue on Sustaining Peace, H E Sheikha Alya said that the allegations and letters sent by the UAE to the UN Security Council that Qatari fighters intercepted their civilian aircrafts are weak accusations and were not based on accurate information.
On the measures that the Security Council can take against the UAE after reviewing the complaint submitted by Qatar, she said that the letters were meant to document and inform the Security Council of those violations, especially that the UN Charter gives the right to all states to report to the Council any actions that violate national and regional peace and security.
She added : “We are still following closely all the measures taken and we have direct coordination with the defence and security authorities in the State. We are informing the UN step by step and we will be monitoring the actions taken by the UAE in this regard”. She stressed that any violations of the airspace of Qatar is a red line and unacceptable. On whether there are other mediators other than the Kuwaiti mediation to resolve the Gulf crisis, Sheikha Alya said that Qatar appreciates the role played by H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, Emir of the sisterly State of Kuwait and it also appreciates Kuwait’s well-known diplomatic efforts, especially that Kuwait is the non-permanent Arab member of the Security Council.
“Qatar is coordinating with Kuwait as a sisterly Gulf country which has an important role in mediating to resolve this fabricated crisis as well as it has an important role as an Arab member at the UN Security Council,” Sheikha Alya added.
Regarding the US position after the recent contact between President Donald Trump and Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, H E Sheikha Alya said that President Trump informed the Emir of an important message concerning important role Qatar is playing in the fight against terrorism.
She added that Qatar enjoys a strong strategic relationship with the US and appreciates the supportive role of every friendly country in these circumstances.
Responding to a question about the UN report on the siege countries’ violations and Qatar’s next move thereon, Sheikha Alya said that the report documents all the violations against Qatari individuals and institutions since the beginning of the crisis.
She explained that Qatar will benefit from this report in several fields in terms of human rights forums and other forums related to humanitarian, legal and diplomatic aspects, stressing the continued work in the documentation of these violations.
H E Sheikha Alia stressed that Qatar has always been keen that the solution to the crisis should remain in the Gulf context. “However, that does not prevent contacts with the international organisations,” she said, adding that Qatar has been notifying the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the members of the Security Council on the circumstances of this crisis since it began.
“If there are other steps we will take, Qatari diplomacy is well known for its capabilities and ability to take any steps, and this will be in coordination with the State of Kuwait,” she added.
As to whether Qatar is internationalising the issue on human rather than political basis, H E Sheikha Alya said: “It is nothing more than a matter of documenting and informing the Member States and the UN bodies of the extent of these violations. These efforts have provided a great knowledge base on what Qatar has been subjected to, while we are keen to have reports issued by the UN, especially in the fields of rights and human rights. These reports are available to all Member States and all organs of the United Nations and the Security Council.”
She pointed out that Qatar has made sure that all regions in the world understand the realities of this crisis, and this is what happened. Now there is great sympathy, especially from the Forum of Small States, which understands what the country has been subjected to sees that as a show off and political bullying.
On the position of the Security Council member states on the siege countries accusation to Qatar of supporting terrorism, H E Sheikha Alya said: “These charges were ridiculous to those countries, in view of their knowledge of the State of Qatar and its shared relations, memorandums of understanding and important humanitarian and educational projects.”
She pointed out that the siege countries do not do a quarter of what Qatar does in relation to the education of children in conflict areas and the fight against extremism.She added that the reaction of many ambassadors since the beginning of the crisis was a tribute to the militarily and cultural roles of Qatar in eradicating the causes of terrorism.
