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QNA
New York
The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani has said the ongoing blockade of Qatar has left the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) paralysed.
In a speech at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, the Amir said,"The blockade on Qatar has harmed the reputation of GCC countries, and the ensuing paralysis has reflected negatively on the councils' aspired role towards regional and global issues."
"In fact, it is not reasonable that differences of views on handling some regional issues lead to paralysing the effectiveness of an important regional organisation such as the GCC. We hope that we will all transform the council's current plight into an opportunity for reforming it and putting forward binding mechanisms to resolve the differences among its states through intra-dialogue, to avoid any similar recurrence in the future," the Amir added.
"It is not sensible for our Arab region to remain hostage to some marginal differences, which are fabricated in our case. More than a year after the illegal blockade imposed on Qatar, many facts have been revealed about a pre-arranged campaign of incitement against it, beside the insinuation and fabrications used to create the crisis," the Amir added.
Despite all the measures taken to inflict harm on Qatar's security and stability, the Amir said,"Believing in the soundness of our legal position, and in the necessity of peaceful settlement of disputes, and in dialogue as the best way to resolve crises, we have been, and still are, positively responsive to all the appreciated efforts of brotherly and friendly nations to end this crisis through an unconditional dialogue based on mutual respect for the sovereignty of nations."
The Amir said the world faces serious security, political and economic threats and challenges that do not respect national borders and put to test the UN as a framework for collective security.
The Amir said,"Qatar and other countries have suffered from digital piracy and digital espionage, and that has prompted us to strongly emphasize this issue and to be willing to work with UN organisations to regulate it legally."
"We propose convening an international conference to examine ways to have this matter regulated by international law. We express our readiness to host this conference," the Amir said.
On the Palestinian cause, the Amir said,"The political process, which began 25 years ago, presented an example of a departure from the UN's terms of reference to frameworks outside the UN - some had perceived that as the best and fastest way in settling and finding solutions to it - supported by the Arab states in line with respecting the Palestinian decision, but that has resulted in further stalemate and complexity. Now, we are witnessing attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause through the liquidation of issues relating to the permanent solution such as Jerusalem, refugees, sovereignty and borders."
"We reaffirm the importance of negotiations and the resumption of their tracks, but that will require commitment to the resolutions of international legitimacy, foremost of which is the two-state solution, and the Arab peace initiative, on the basis of East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian State, on 1967-borders. There can be no solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict without a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause," the Amir added.
On Yemen, the Amir said,"We confirm the firm position of Qatar, which is keen on the unity, independence and territorial integrity of Yemen. We call upon all the Yemeni parties to the national reconciliation to end the conflict."
The Amir said,"On this occasion, I announce Qatar's agreement with the UN to fight cholera in Yemen by supporting projects related to combating the causes of the disease and to halt its spread. We call upon other countries to join us in supporting this vital effort."
On terrorism, the Amir said,"We affirm the firm position of Qatar in rejecting all forms of terrorism. We have developed legislative and institutional systems, fulfilled international obligations related to the fight against terrorism and its financing, and participated in all relevant international and regional efforts.
