Mahmoud Barakat
27 February 2019•Update: 27 February 2019
By Ahmed Yusuf
DOHA
Qatar has called on the international community, including the U.S., to have a more inclusive approach in their policy towards the Middle East.
Qatar "had no interest in anything that is not a two-state solution, 1967 borders, the right of return, clear designation of Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine," Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said in an interview with The Guardian on Tuesday.
Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior adviser, Jared Kushner, started a regional tour to promote the so-called “Deal of the Century” – a backchannel plan to reach a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.
“Anyone that looks at the situation right now – the polarisation in the region – is quite certain that things will not remain like this,” bin Jassim said.
“You cannot keep people under oppression for a long time, so to prevent this instability from happening, we just want leaders to start reforming. We have to practice preventative diplomacy rather than reactive diplomacy.”
The terms of Washington's peace plan remain vague. But according to recent speculation, Palestinian refugees will be asked to concede their right to return to historical Palestine, from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.
Jamal Khashoggi's murder
The top Qatari diplomat described the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi as a “brutal crime."
Citing that the family of the Khashoggi seeks answers and accountability, he urged Saudi Arabia to cooperate with the UN inquiry into the killing.
Khashoggi was brutally murdered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul shortly after he entered the diplomatic facility late last year.
Riyadh initially denied any role in the killing but has since sought to blame his death on a botched rendition operation being carried out by rogue agents.
In November, the CIA concluded with high confidence Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi's killing, according to The Washington Post.
Iran-Qatar ties
As for the Qatari relations with Iran, the foreign minister said: "Our position on the Iran deal is that, like the Europeans, we support it."
“We do not want a nuclear arms race in our region, and that is the danger,” he stressed.
The top diplomat affirmed that Qatar has not formed an axis with Iran and Turkey in the region.
"Our geography is difficult. We have sided with no one. It’s not easy to be a facilitator for talks between adversaries," he said.
The minister said the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) should reach "an understanding" with Iran.
"That was the common position of the GCC countries until 2017, but the boycott changed everything," he added.
Since the summer 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have cut ties with Qatar and imposed "punitive measures" that Doha calls a "blockade".
The Saudi-led axis accuses Qatar of supporting terrorism, which Doha denies.
