QNA
HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has stressed that Qatar is taking part in the military action against terrorist groups because “we have to counter terrorism”.
He made the remarks during an interview with CNN’s Christian Amanpour that was aired on Thursday.
He also noted that the military operation against the terrorist groups would go on “for a while”.
He said the assistance would include helping refugees and combating the smuggling of money that ends with such groups.
He blamed the regime in Syria for the present state of affairs.
“The main cause of all this is the regime in Syria, and this regime should be punished,” HH the Emir said. “We’ve been saying that from day one, that if we don’t stop the bloodshed in Syria and we don’t stop (Syrian President) Bashar (al-Assad) committing genocide on his own people, this is where we’re going to reach.
“Unfortunately, we are in a situation now that the Syrian people, who demanded for their freedom, are between a regime, brutal regime, and terrorist acts.
“If we think that we’re going to get rid of the terrorist movements and leave those regimes doing what - this regime especially, doing what he is doing - then terrorist movements will come back again.”
The Emir said terrorist movements posed “a threat around the world” not only for Qatar or the coalition but also for any stable and modern country. “Terrorism is something that is not acceptable in our culture, in our religion, so it will not stop us.”
On allegations that Qatar is funding “terrorism”, the Emir said there was a distinction that must be made in this regard. “I know that in America and some countries they look at some movements as terrorist movements. ... But there are differences. There are differences that some countries and some people that any group which comes from Islamic background are terrorists. And we don’t accept that.”
There are people, the Emir said, “in Syria and Iraq and other Arab countries who don’t believe in freedom of speech, who don’t believe that they have to live with others and accept others, and also accept the choice of the people. Those are the people that we don’t fund.”
However, he added it would be a “big mistake” to consider any Islamic group as “extremists” just because of “political differences” with them. “Other than that, extremists are well known. Terrorist groups are well known and we know them.”
On the question of the existence of some differences with coalition partners regarding the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas movements, the Emir acknowledged that there were differences. “There was confusion in the beginning of the Arab Spring for everybody, especially in our region” because it was happening in neighbouring countries. “Everybody took a different step,” the Emir said, adding: “We took our foreign policy, which we believe was right at that moment that we helped and we stood by the Arab people who demanded for their dignity and their freedom.”
What happened after that, he said, was that in the elections the Egyptian people chose a government that was led by the Muslim Brotherhood. “We gave aid to the Egyptian government before the Muslim Brotherhood during the military government after the stepping down of Hosni Mubarak,” he said.
“People were saying that we support the Muslim Brotherhood,” the Emir said. “We don’t. We support the Egyptian government,” he added, noting that Qatar had supported different Egyptian governments that followed. “So, it is nothing to do with Muslim Brotherhood.”
On the presence of Muslim Brotherhood members in Qatar, the Emir said that many of them had left “after what happened in Egypt a year ago” and “some of them came to Qatar because they were threatened and they were afraid”.
“They were safe in Qatar as long as they didn’t practice” politics, the Emir told CNN. “Some of them are still there, some of them are leaving because they believe that this is the moment for them to practice politics and they know the rules of the country - that as long as you are here you can’t practice politics against any other Arab country.”
The Emir stressed Qatar’s support for the Palestinian people, saying that “we support all Palestinian people. We believe Hamas is a very important part of the Palestinian people.”
“As I said, we have differences with some friends, who consider Hamas a terrorist group. We don’t. Simply because they are a very important component of the Palestinian people.
“Going back to history nearly 10 years ago, we were asked by the Americans if we can talk to Hamas to make them participate in the election,” the Emir said, adding that HH the Father Emir had told Hamas that the US wanted them to take part in the elections. “Their answer was ‘we will, but do you think the international community will accept us?’
“My father said, ‘Yes because I was asked by the Americans for you to join.’
“What is the difference between Hamas 10 years ago and Hamas now? I believe the difference is that Hamas are more realistic now. They believe in peace and they want peace. But it’s for the other party to believe in peace as well and to be more realistic.”
Asked about the Qatari-Israeli ties, the Emir said: “We believe in peace. Since 1991 and 1993, and Oslo and after that, we believed in peace. We helped a lot in trying to make a bridge between the Palestinians and Israelis.”
But, he added, the war in Gaza few years ago and the huge number of victims had made Qatar cut its “official ties with Israel”.
He said that peace between the Palestinians and Israelis was the only way out and that there must be “pressure on both sides” to reach a peaceful solution.
“We don’t have a problem in starting a relation with the Israelis as long as they are serious in making peace and protecting the Palestinian people.”
On Qatar’s foreign policy strategy, the Emir said: “We believe in peace, dialogue and mediation between countries to resolve problems ...”
The Emir said that “the policy of HH the Father Emir has been the best for Qatar, especially with regard to dialogue and problem-solving, mediation, and this will be my policy ... Of course we do not know what would happen in the future.”
On the possibility of a negotiated solution in Syria, the Emir said: “Our aim is to protect and assist the Syrian people .. The start of the revolution in Syria was peaceful but that the regime began killings and massacres against its people ... and then we called for providing the Syrian people with arms in order to protect themselves, and unless we do this, other massacres would happen in Syria .. this the only way that can help the Syrian people.”