H.E. Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al Thani the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar expressed is happiness at his meeting with H.E. president Husni Mubarak of Egypt. He said: " I have conveyed to president Mubarak the keen interest of H.H. Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani the Emir of Qatar to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries".
In his statement in Cairo after having been received by H.E. Presiden Husni Mubarak of Egypt today, H.E. explained that during the meeting they discussed the Egyptian Qatari relations and the ways to bolster them in all fields.
He indicated that the visit was his first to an Arab country in his new capacity as Prime Minister; and Egypt was chosen to be the destination for such a visit due to the solid belief in the importance of the Egyptian role in the Arab world, confirming that the cooperation of the two countries will be heightened in all fields within the context of this role.
H.E. the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs confirmed that he presented to president Mubarak during the meeting the signed agreement to establish a Qatari industrial zone in Burj Al Arab area. The feasibility study of the agreement, he said, was completed by a Singaporean expertise house; and the implementation will start in a few months time.
Responding to a question on the criticism directed to the role of Qatar at the UN Security Council and its stance towards the international tribunal which is meant to decide on the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Al Hariri, H.E. said that Qatar was not against the international tribunal. "On the contrary", he continued, "Qatar supports the mandate of the tribunal to apprehend and try the culprits of this heinous crime. We only want a Lebanese accord on this issue because we know the nature of Lebanon. It is very essential that all Lebanese factions come to an agreement on the subject, otherwise an unexpected situation might result. This is what we were warning against".
"Regarding the Qatari role", H.E. said, "we are trying to resolve all issues as much as we can. We don't impose ourselves while trying to reduce the tension in the region whenever we sense a way of doing that".
On the extent to which the Security Council was convinced of the importance of having a Lebanese agreement regarding the tribunal, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs added that some countries hold that there must be a Lebanese agreement. Above all, there is Lebanese constitution which should not be violated so as not to constitute a precedence that the Security Council might use again against other countries.
H.E. indicated that some countries in the Security Council do not reject the tribunal but want a Lebanese agreement on the endorsement of such a tribunal. Those countries include china, Russia, Qatar, Indonesia, south Africa and others. Responding to the accusation that Qatar acts against the will of the parliamentary majority and the legitimate government of Lebanon, HE said that that was not true.
On why Qatar did not send humanitarian assistance to Lebanon during the crisis of River Albarid, H.E. said, " I don't think there was need for such assistance. What we are concerned with most is to stop the blood bath and resolve the tense situation in River Albarid area", indicating that Qatar has extended an assistance amounting to 300 million US Dollars to Lebanon when country suffered from the last Israeli aggression.
H.E. explained that the State of Qatar contributes substantial assistance to Lebanon; and that assistance is going to continue. "However, that is not going to include any military assistance to any party or faction in any country. Qatar does not interfere in the internal affairs of any country. It only provides humanitarian assistance or good offices to resolve the problems", he said.
On the possibility of endorsing the Arab peace initiative by the Security Council, H.E. said, "I think this is important. The question is how we can make the key members of the Security Council adopt such an initiative, especially that we are not a permanent member of the council. Qatar is the only Arab country in the council".
Regarding the Israeli escalation against the Palestinians and the threats of Olmert the Israeli prime minister to murder the Palestinian leadership especially the leaders of Hamas, H.E. said, "I think Israel has tried this course of action for a long time", confirming that it proved useless and would escalate the situation and heighten the feelings against Israel.
H.E. indicated that Israel should think about recognizing the rights of the Palestinians and about how to return them if it wants the Palestinians to recognize the requirements of Israel. He added that that was the beginning of solving the problem. "If the Israelis want a proxy Palestinian government, they should know that such a notion had been passed by time, and would not be helpful", he concluded.