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29 September 2015 Excerpt from Sheikh
Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani
It was our hope that this session be convened after some progress has been
made concerning some bloody conflicts in this world, but we find ourselves
encountering more challenges and crises that threaten international peace and
security. The absence of international consensus has
returned to be an obstacle in the face of important issues, and the
selectivity adopted in enforcing justice and international law is still
prevalent in dealing with regional issues, and this would dent the concept of
international legitimacy and the values, norms and principles that have
settled in human conscience and adopted by the international community after
millions of people had paid a dear price, especially after major humanitarian
experiences that have taken their toll on peoples' memory, such as
enslavement, genocide, colonialism, racism, and world wars, etc.
It is not permissible to manipulate these values that have been derived from
the suffering of the peoples, and perhaps this is the basis of the existence
of this organisation, and without this basis there would be no sense for such
annual meetings. The conflict in the Middle East
would continue to pose a constant threat to international peace and security
for its direct impact on many of the crises facing the region and the world.
The just and lasting solution of Palestinian cause, which remains an issue of
people displaced from their land, and are still under the yoke of occupation,
cannot be delayed to the next generation. The
achievement of a just and lasting settlement that allows an end to the
Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and establishing a Palestinian State
requires an Israeli partner for peace. For the time being, there is neither
an Israeli partner for a just peace, nor even for a settlement. In these
circumstances there is an international obligation that cannot be evaded
towards the last de facto colonial issue in modern history.
And until there is an end to the occupation, the procrastination,
delay-tactics, futile contacts and statements would continue. Look at
what is happening in Jerusalem! Extremist religious political forces tend to
rely on literal interpretations of text versions dating back to thousands of
years in order to desecrate other people's sanctities, occupy their land and
to settle on it. Isn't this tantamount to a religious fundamentalism? Isn't
this violence an act of terrorism carried out by radical religious forces?
Allow me to send a message to all major parties of the international
community in general that the continuation of the Palestinian cause without a
permanent and just solution is a stigma at the face of humanity.
The international community is failing in what is less than a fair
settlement, it did not even succeed in forcing the reconstruction of the Gaza
Strip in the aftermath of the aggression. An
international conference by a Norwegian initiative convened specifically for
this purpose. Qatar has pledged to pay $1bn for the reconstruction process,
and we are pursuing providing aid to the Gaza Strip until the end of
implementing our commitment, but we wonder: What happened to the conference
and its decisions? The international community
represented by the Security Council must assume its responsibilities, by
taking a firm stance forcing Israel to comply with deliverables of peace,
namely, halting of all forms of settlement activity in the occupied
Palestinian territories, lifting the unjust siege on the Gaza Strip and to be
committed to implement the resolutions of the international legitimacy that
recognise the Palestinian people's right to regain their legitimate national
rights, and establish an independent Palestinian State according to 1967
borders, as per the principle of two-state solution.
We caution against missing the opportunities, because if peoples reach a
conclusion that there is no peaceful solution to this issue, then this would
lead to unpredictable dire consequences on the region and the world.
The Syrian crisis with its current and future dimensions and repercussions is
generating catastrophic consequences for the Middle East region, and even the
world, in light of the continuation of the atrocities and horrendous crimes
committed by the regime against the Syrian people, the threat to the core
status of the State and its people, and creating a breeding ground
environment for intensifying the phenomenon of extremism and terrorism under
false religious, sectarian and ethnic banners that will threaten humans,
community and cultural heritage in Syria and the region. It
was incumbent on the international community to stop the massacres at the
right time, and provides the conditions for the Syrian people to put forward
a rationale, civil and fair alternative to tyranny. But is there a tyranny in
the world that could acknowledge an alternative? Is it possible for a tyranny
to allow an alternative to grow and develop under its shadow?
When people suffer from war of genocide and displacement, then the worst
decision is not to take a decision, and the most detrimental danger is to
ignore the danger. The failure of the international community to take the
necessary decisions and measures to end this disaster is a major crime. It
reveals the failure and the inability of the international order, and leads
to a loss of confidence in the law and the international community.
In this context the role of the General Assembly must be activated and
strengthened as a broader framework for dealing with peoples' issues in light
of the inability or the failure of the Security Council to find fair
solutions for them. From here I call for co-operation
in order to impose a political solution in Syria that would end the reign of
tyranny and replacing it with a pluralistic regime based on equal citizenship
for all Syrians, defeat radicalism and terrorism and insulate Syria from
them, repatriate the displaced to their homes, and allows reconstruction of
Syria. The question is not whether this is possible, it is possible if there
is a will among certain countries. The question posed
to all of us here is: Do you see that the continuation of the current
situation in Syria is possible? The conflict has been transformed in this
country into genocide and mass displacement of the population. This has grave
consequences on the region and the whole world, and even on countries that do
not expedite a solution because they are neither directly affected by the
conflict, nor reached by the influx of the displaced people.
The international handling of the nuclear disarmament issues that is mired by
shortcomings and double standards alarm us. A clear evidence of this is the
recent failure of the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference to render
the Middle East nuclear-free zone, it was disappointing and have dented the
credibility of the treaty. In this context, and given the
strategic importance of the Gulf region, the achievement of stability in the
Gulf is essential for the countries of the region and the international
community as a whole. It is not
reasonable to have a precedent that a basic political party accepts the
outcome of a national dialogue and then tend to neglect it and try to impose
its own vision and domination over the whole country by arms.
Concerning the Iraqi affair, the stability of Iraq requires a national
general consensus devoid of any outside interferences and free from any
discrimination whether sectarian or ethnic; and we hope that the Iraqi
government be able to meet the requirements of concord and reconciliation
among the various Iraqi people's factions.
Any political solution in Iraq, Yemen, Syria or Libya must include ending the
existence of militias outside the legitimate institutions of the State. This
is a key component part of any genuine settlement, without which there would
neither be a permanent settlement, nor real solutions... We must work together to strengthen
the collective security system to effectively deal with international and
regional problems to maintain the rights of peoples, and to persistently face
any attempts to impose temporary solutions to address the side effects of the
problems rather than touching their roots. Finally,
the State of Qatar will spare no effort in supporting the international
community's efforts to achieve the goals that we all seek in a manner that
would achieve the interest of our peoples and the good of humanity.'' |
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