*Amir addresses 73rd UN General Assembly
*Blockade has only made Qatar stronger, economic growth continues unabated
*No peace in Middle East without a solution to the Israel-Palestinian dispute
*Qatar rejects terrorism in all forms; fight against terrorism is among the priorities of Qatar's policy at the national, regional and international levels
*Qatar agrees to join the UN plan to fight cholera in Yemen
*The bloodshed and tyranny in Syria has to end


Qatar has emerged a stronger nation in spite of the unjust siege imposed on it more than a year ago and the country has maintained its leading rankings in global indicators, especially in the areas of human security and development, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al -Thani said on Tuesday.

Participating in the General Debate of the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Amir said since the blockade, many facts have been revealed about a pre-arranged campaign of incitement against Qatar beside the insinuation and fabrications used to create the Gulf crisis.

He said the international community has recognised the falsity of the allegations that had been propagated "against my country to justify the premeditated measures taken under the pretext of these invented and untrue allegations, in a flagrant violation of the international law and the basis of relations between nations, and the values and norms of our peoples".

The Amir said despite all the measures taken to inflict harm on Qatar's security and stability, and create hardships for its people in addition to the economic warfare launched to hinder its development process, yet the period that followed the unjust siege has witnessed the strengthening of the status of Qatar and consolidation of its role as an active partner in the regional and international arenas.

He said Qatar's economy continued its growth as a proof of its vigour and consistency. Qatar has also maintained its advanced and leading rankings vis-a-vis the countries of the region in global indicators, especially in the areas of human security and human development. "This has strengthened the Qatari people's faith in their potentials, values and principles, and cemented cohesion of their unity."

Advocating the necessity of peaceful settlement of disputes, he said

Qatar is open to all the appreciated efforts of brotherly and friendly nations to end the crisis "through an unconditional dialogue based on mutual respect for the sovereignty of nations".


His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani addressing the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday

The Amir said it is not reasonable that differences in views about handling some regional issues lead to paralysing the effectiveness of an important regional organisation such as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). "The blockade on Qatar has harmed the reputation of the GCC countries, and the ensuing paralysis has reflected negatively on the Councils' aspired role towards regional and global issues.

"We hope that we will all transform the Council's current plight into an opportunity for reforming it and putting forward binding mechanisms to resolve the differences among its states through intra-dialogue, to avoid any similar recurrence in the future. It is not sensible for our Arab region to remain a hostage to some marginal differences, which are fabricated in our case, and which consume efforts and energies and waste funds exceeding what we need to allocate to the just causes that are supposed to be agreed upon by us."

The Amir said the world faces serious security, political and economic threats and challenges that do not respect national borders of countries and put to the test the United Nations as a framework for collective security.

With regard to the Palestinian cause, the Amir said only a little progress has been made on the lingering issues of the Middle East.

Sheikh Tamim said the political process initiated outside the UN has resulted in further stalemate and complexity. "Now we are witnessing attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause through the liquidation of issues relating to the permanent solution such as Jerusalem, refugees, sovereignty and borders."

It was necessary to solve the dispute in accordance with principles such as the right to self-determination and inadmissibility of annexation of territories of others by force, he said.


His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani leading Qatar's delegation at the UN General Assembly in New York

The Amir pointed out the deterioration of the situations in the Palestinian territories, particularly the inhumane conditions in the Gaza Strip. "We reaffirm the importance of negotiations and the resumption of their tracks, but that will require commitment to the resolutions of international legitimacy, foremost of which is the two-state solution, and the Arab peace initiative, on the basis of East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian State, on 1967- borders. Moreover, there can be no solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict without a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause."

The Amir reiterated Qatar's material and political support to the brotherly Palestinian people.

Referring to Syria, Sheikh Tamim said after the elapse of more than seven years, the international community is still unable to find a solution to the exacerbating crisis. He warned that if left unresolved , the crimes of genocide, mass displacement and wholesale death in prisons under torture could become a common practice that the international community can get accustomed to.

Regarding the Yemeni issue, the Amir said Qatar is keen on the unity, independence and territorial integrity of that country. "We call upon all the Yemeni parties to national reconciliation to end the conflict on the basis of the Security Council Resolution 2216, the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and the outcomes of the National Dialogue."

The Amir also appealed the international community to help the brotherly Yemeni people who are facing a grave humanitarian situation, and to facilitate free access for humanitarian assistance to all areas in the country.

"On this occasion, I announce Qatar's agreement with the United Nations to fight cholera in Yemen by supporting projects related to combating the causes of the disease and to halt its spread. We call upon other countries to join us in supporting this vital effort."

On the Libyan crisis, the Amir said recent developments have put the security of the country and its territorial integrity at stake. "We reiterate our support for the Skhirat agreement signed in December 2015 and all its outcomes."

The Amir appreciated the efforts of the government to restore stability and achieve national reconciliation in Iraq by collaboration of all political parties and all components of Iraqi community and "we value the successes and sacrifices of the Iraqi people in the fight against terrorism and extremism in all its forms".

Highlighting the threat poised by terrorism, the Amir said there is consensus that terrorism has become one of the most outstanding challenges facing the world . He said Qatar rejects all forms and shapes of terrorism anywhere in the world, regardless of the reasons and pretexts.

"The fight against terrorism is among the priorities of the State of Qatar's policy at the national, regional and international levels. We have developed legislative and institutional systems, fulfilled international obligations related to the fight against terrorism and its financing, and participated in all relevant international and regional efforts.

"In our view, there are necessary prerequisites to make the war on terrorism achieve its goal and not to turn into a self-contained goal:

1. International cooperation in combating violence resulting from extremism and violence directed against civilians to terrorise them and to damage civilian facilities for political ends. These phenomena must be addressed firmly and rigorously.

2. Unifying the standards of fighting terrorism so as its definition does not selectively depend on the religious or ethnic identity of the perpetrator.

3. Addressing its roots and causes and researching in the political, social and cultural backgrounds that contribute to its breeding, and working earnestly to achieve just settlements of lingering issues that feed the feelings of anger and frustration.

4. Avoid giving partisan connotation to the term terrorism through tailoring it to fit into the narrow interests of some nations by using it to justify tyranny and repression of political opponents, which affects the credibility of combating terrorism and harms the international efforts exerted thereof.

Qatar believes that educating youth and their comprehensive participation represents the first line of defense for the collective security system and an important factor in fighting terrorism and building peace and stability, he said.

"Human development and the protection and promotion of human rights are in the forefront of the priorities of the State of Qatar which pursues its efforts at the legislative and institutional levels to implement its National Vision 2030 that emphasises human development."

Stressing the importance of effective rules to regulate the cyber world, His Highness the Amir said modern life has become inconceivable without information and digital technology and digital means of communication.

"However, a series of events recently experienced by several countries reminded us that new needs have emerged that were previously unknown, such as the freedom of access, and the need to protect the private sphere of citizens from the risk of hacking. It also alerted us to the cyber security of nations. These are cross-border issues because of the nature of the technology itself. Accordingly, it is necessary to regulate dealing with these issues and control their risks internationally.

"Qatar and other countries have suffered from digital piracy and digital espionage, and that has prompted us to strongly emphasise this issue and to be willing to work with United Nations organisations to regulate it legally. We propose convening an international conference to examine ways to have this matter regulated by international law. We express our readiness to host this conference."

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