Qatar remains an important regional player, says UK envoy

By Salman Siddiqui/Staff ReporterQatar’s role in the GCC region remains important, especially in the context of Egypt and Syria, British Ambassador Nicholas Hopton has said.Hopton, who took over recently, told a press conference on Sunday that the role of Qatar in the region was ‘extremely important.’“I saw this first hand in Yemen, where Qatar is playing an important role under the Gulf initiative,” he said.Hopton is a career diplomat with over 25 years of experience. His last assignment was in Yemen where he was posted until June last. He arrived in Doha by the end of July last. “Since I’ve arrived, I’ve seen very important engagement of the Qatari government, in particular the foreign minister (HE Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah) playing a very significant and good role in stabilising the situation in Egypt after the removal of President Mursi,” he said. He lauded Qatar for continuing to support the Egyptian people through provision of gas supplies and termed the move ‘a very positive thing.’The ambassador also stressed on the important role of Qatar in Syria.Even though Qatar is not a permanent member of the UN’s Security Council, Hopton said the landmark resolution on Syria took place after co-operation and consultations with key regional powers such as Qatar.He stressed on a political settlement to the Syrian conflict.“Like the UK, I hope the focus for Qatar and other leading Gulf countries would be on ensuring a political, negotiated and diplomatic solution to the situation in Syria that puts an end to the conflict and loss of life,” he said.Hopton said there should be a key meeting in Geneva by November in order to achieve a political way forward now that the Security Council resolution has called for the destruction of Syrian chemical weapons by 2014. He also said that there was a need to push for a political settlement between the opposition and Assad forces in Syria.The UK parliament had made very clear that they should not intervene militarily and therefore Britain will not participate in any direct military intervention in Syria. However, the ambassador said his country will carry on with its role in diplomatic efforts and contribute significantly to the humanitarian issues affecting Syria.  “There is still lots to be done in Syria. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed. I think the next step, UK will be pushing for, is a meeting for the Geneva group ‘Geneva 2’.”