Qatar's FM Al Thani urges de-escalation in US-Iran row

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FM: Qatar, other countries urge Iran and US to de-escalate tension

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said yesterday that the State of Qatar and other countries are urging Iran and the US 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,” H E 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,” H E the Foreign Minister added.

H E the Foreign Minister said that several countries including the State of Qatar, Oman, Iraq, and Japan had been urging de-escalation with the two sides.

H E 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 US 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,” H E the Foreign Minister said.

In regard to the ongoing Gulf crisis H E Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said: “When you have one of the parties aiming for zero sum game, nothing will change”, adding that “nothing has changed”.

H E Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said that Qatar will accept any Middle East peace plan that is acceptable to the Palestinians.

H E added that there was a disconnect between the Palestinians and the United States over a US blueprint aimed at ending the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

“Our position remains very firm: We are going to support any plan that the Palestinians are willing to accept.”

“It cannot be a solution like, sort of, imposed on the Palestinians — no country in the Arab world can accept that,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani .

“If the plan is rejected by one of the parties it means the plan is either unfair or just not realistic,” H E the Deputy Prime Minister added. “The best scenario is either that both parties accept it or that both parties reject it.”