Qatar looks forward to inaugurating the United Nations House in Doha soon, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani told the opening session of the General Debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York Tuesday.
"We are pleased that Doha has become a hub of international multilateral action in our region, which is in dire need of the work and efforts of the United Nations agencies and international institutions, as their offices in Doha have started working," he explained.
The Amir's address to the UN came on the 50th anniversary of Qatar joining the membership of the UN on September 21, 1971. He recalled that during the past five decades, the relationship between Qatar and the international organisation has been characterised by close co-operation and the establishment of exemplary partnerships in various fields.
"Qatar's bet on international institutions and multilateral co-operation is a strategic one. In this context, we affirm pursuing our contributions to supporting the United Nations entities and fulfilling our commitments to the issues identified by the international community as priorities at this stage.
"On the occasion of talking about the United Nations and the global issues facing humanity as a whole, which highlight the need for its role, I refer here to the participation of Qatar in the international efforts to combat terrorism and address its causes through supporting education, addressing poverty and unemployment among youth, and resolving conflicts which also constitute a breeding ground for terrorism".
His Highness Sheikh Tamim pointed out that the American decision to withdraw from Afghanistan following negotiations with the Taliban constituted an extremely critical turning point for the country. The responsibility lies first on the Afghan people with all its factions and second on the international community, to work systematically and persistently to achieve a comprehensive political settlement and pave the way for stability in this country that has long suffered from the ravages of war.
"As you know, Qatar has spared no effort in helping to evacuate thousands of individuals and families of various nationalities during the past weeks. This was our humanitarian duty. But the most important thing I want to refer to is that we were confident that war offers no solution and that there would be dialogue in the end. We had acted on this basis when we hosted the Taliban office when our international partners asked us to open and patronise a direct dialogue between them and Taliban in Doha. This position has been proven correct.
"In co-ordination with our international partners, we will continue to do whatever we can to ensure that the tangible gains that have been achieved within the Doha path are maintained, and it is necessary that the parties abide by their commitments during it.
"The issue in Afghanistan is not a matter of victory or defeat but rather an issue of failure to impose a political system from outside. Regardless of intentions, efforts made, and money invested, this experience in Afghanistan has collapsed after twenty years.
"It is necessary to avoid slipping into counter extremism by major powers when they abandon their duties regarding the issues of world peace, guaranteeing the implementation of international conventions and protecting civilians from war crimes. There is a difference between imposing trusteeship on other countries and carrying out duties by major powers to implement international resolutions and conventions.
The Amir observed that the international community bears responsibility for achieving a comprehensive and just peaceful settlement of the Palestinian cause by establishing a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, alongside Israel, and ending the occupation of Arab lands, and a just solution to the refugee issue.
"This is what the international community has agreed upon for decades, yet it has not found its way towards implementation despite the risks posed by this issue if it has remained unresolved.
"As a result of this continuous procrastination, there occasionally appear those who believe that the Palestinian cause can be marginalised on the international agenda or can circumvent such a deeply rooted national cause by suggesting ideas such as improving the economic situation of the population under occupation instead of eliminating the occupation."
Regarding Iran, His Highness Sheikh Tamim stated that only rational dialogue based on mutual respect is the solution to the disagreements and differences in viewpoints.
"This also applies to the issue of returning to the nuclear agreement with Iran. I do not think that anyone has an alternative to this approach, even those who oppose reverting to the agreement," he said.
The Amir stressed that Qatar has taken a balanced and effective approach in addressing the Covid-19 pandemic and its impacts on health and economy at the national level.
"Based on our partnership with the international community to confront global crises, Qatar has not slackened providing support to the relevant international institutions and standing beside the countries affected by the pandemic; as we have continued to provide medical supplies and cater for other needs related to tackling the pandemic through the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) and providing support to the World Health Organisation and the Humanitarian Initiative to provide vaccines for the most vulnerable groups and the countries most in need," he added.
