Al Attiyah: GCC Serious About Measures to Protect its Security

 Al Attiyah: GCC Serious About Measures to Protect its Security

London /Information Office / 20 February 2015/ Qatar's approach has always been to work for global peace whether in moderating among countries or in humanitarian issues, HE Foreign Minister Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah said, stressing that Qatar is immune to media campaigns against it because its policies are clear for everyone. Speaking in an interview with London-based newspaper Al Hayat, the Qatari foreign minister strongly rejected claims that Doha is playing double roles in order to gain international influence. "We must distinguish between two things - between the state and its relationship with other states, and whether these accusations are from states or from the media," HE Al Attiyah said, adding: "If they are from states, I can tell you that there are no accusations from states because states really know Qatar and know how it deals with the international community and how it fully shoulders its responsibilities as an active member of the international community actors." "Qatar, throughout the history of its approach, has worked for world peace, whether in its mediation in countries where there were conflicts or countries that had problems in some borders, or in humanitarian issues and disasters, without distinction," HE Al Attiyah told Al Hayat. He added that newspapers, particularly in the West, that launched campaigns against Qatar had interests before but couldn't find their interest in Qatar, including purchase of shares or saving these huge media entities from bankruptcy, noting that some of these media outlets mixed their commercial interests with their political interests. On Qatar's support for democracy in the Arab world, Al Attiyah said "we never claimed we are a democratic state in the way you imagine. Every world country, and this unfortunately is the case in some western countries, think that their democracy is the one that we can implement. Maybe we have an exclusiveness in GCC, maybe we have the best existing democracy that fits us and its our societies, and the safety and security that we enjoy because we didn't allow anyone to tamper with our model of democracy." Asked about different opinions within GCC states, Dr. Al Attiyah said it is healthy and natural and without it there wouldn't be an applicable decision, stressing that GCC ties are the healthiest in the region. As for Qatar's presidency of the current GCC session, Dr. Al Attiyah said it doesn't mean making unilateral decisions but it rather means being part of the decision-making process and taking decisions that take into consideration the interests of GCC states and the security and economic dimensions for them. "Decisions in GCC are not taken unilaterally or emotionally... Qatar is completely playing its role as a president of the current session," HE the foreign minister said, adding that GCC is serious about taking all the measures that protect its security and interests of its countries. On the conflict in Yemen, HE Dr. Al Attiyah said GCC is adamant to take all the measures that protect the security and interests of the region, adding that mot all measures "we take to protect our security and interests are public. He noted that these are measures taken by relevant authorities who are tasked by GCC leaders to ensure the interests of the region are protected. Asked about GCC unity, Al Attiyah said steps are being studied in phases and all GCC states are serious about this issue. "Ambition in GCC must move in that direction, a confederation towards a form of unity, whether confederation or federation. This is the ambition because at the end our fate is the same - language, religion, blood, norms and traditions." On the question of Iran's possession of nuclear weapons, Al Attiyah said all GCC states share the same stance; "you can have a peaceful nuclear program but no one in the region has the right to own a nuclear weapon. Otherwise, we have the right in GCC to own the same weapon. The region should be free of weapons of mass destruction." Asked about Oman's sponsorship of the secret nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran, HE the foreign minister said Oman is one of GCC's six pillars and it is concerned about GCC interests as much as it's about its own interests "but at the same time, we can't deny other countries the right to have a foreign policy." He added that a GCC state might see fit to moderate in a certain issue whether in Europe, Africa or in the region. "This doesn't harm us in GCC." HE Dr. Al Attiyah denied claims that Qatar supports the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, saying that Doha has rather backed Cairo since the January 25 uprising since the rule of the military council. He said Qatar has signed agreements with the interim cabinet of Essam Sharaf for development and investment in Egypt and these agreements remain in place, adding that there was no Muslim Brotherhood back then but Qatar's support continued because of Doha's belief that Egypt's strength reflects on the Arab world. The Muslim Brotherhood contested the elections and won and it was the Egyptian people, not Qatar, who chose them, Al Attiyah said, adding that when a Muslim Brotherhood member was elected president "we dealt with the government and the president, and the support continued after the measures that took place in Egypt." "There are Qatari deposits in the Egyptian economy until now and we exported, during the rule of President Abdel Fattah el Sisi, five huge shipments of Qatari gas as a grant to the Egyptian people based on Emiri directive," he said. HE Dr. Al Attiyah said ties with Egypt were never affected, noting that there were 130,000 Egyptians working in Qatar, while the number today is 200,000. "Egypt knows that Qatar is always supportive and always fixes and firm that Egypt should be strong. This is our belief and our strategic thought." As for developments in Syria, Dr. Al Attiyah said what Qatar has been warning of from the very beginning of the conflict is unfolding now. He said that eradicating Daesh group will not be achieved only by air strikes but requires dealing wit the root causes of the problem and restoring rights. Asked about helping Hezbollah in the issue of hostages, HE the foreign minister said Qatar was helping "our brothers in Lebanon, for Lebanese citizens, based on a request from the Lebanese government. Recently, we were trying to release Lebanese soldiers serving the Lebanese government." He denied that there is a Qatari initiative for reconciliation among Lebanese factions in order to choose a president, stressing, however, that Qatar is ready for anything that brings parties closer rather than divides. Dr . Al Attiyah said Qatar is one of the biggest backers of a political settlement in Libya, urging all sides to sit together to reach that political solution. "We have no presence in Libya since the fall of Gaddafi regime. We are present through support via the United Nations for all the Libyan factions to sit to the dialogue table and that's what we did for the Ghadames talks 1, Geneva talks and Ghadames talks 2," he said, expressing ambition at the future of the region and that every Middle East conflict has a genuine solution. On the situation in Iraq, HE the foreign minister said all GCC states welcomed the new government and "we hope to hear the other side and that its demands are met." Asked about the bridge connecting Qatar and Bahrain, Dr. Al Attiyah said he believes there are committees studying the matter.