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Qatar: ‘Our stance on Assad regime has not changed’

September 23, 2023 at 2:11 pm

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani speaks at the opening session of the second Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit on September 18, 2023 ahead of the 78th UN General Assembly. [Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images]

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman Bin Jassim Al-Thani confirmed on Thursday that his country’s stance towards the Syrian regime has not changed.

This came in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in New York for the United Nations (UN) General Assembly session.

Concerning the Arab League, Al-Thani stated that the decision to allow Syria to return is down to the league, adding that Qatar will not reject this because one vote will not make a difference.

“We see that still, we don’t see anything that makes him [Bashar Al-Assad] eligible to return to the Arab League. We try to explain our position,” he stressed, adding that every Arab country is free to decide on normalisation with Syria.

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The Emir expressed: “We cannot tolerate war criminals. We cannot see Syrian people still suffering.”

He concluded: “We see that the only way forward is a political solution… and this is not happening.”

On Tuesday, Al-Thani told the UN General Assembly it was: “Not permissible to accept the grave injustice befalling the brotherly Syrian people as if it were fate.”

The Emir said the crisis in Syria: “Is still awaiting a comprehensive settlement through a political process leading to a political transition.”

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