In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
Your Highness, Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani, Deputy Emir of the State of Qatar
Your and Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our esteemed guests,
I would like to welcome you all to Doha for this annual meeting to discuss, research, and examine regional and international challenges and crises, and how to deal with them through dialogue and peaceful resolutions.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The safety and stability sought by the Middle East and all peoples of the world can only be achieved when the international community, and in particular the UN Security Council, takes just stances in dealing with key issues currently facing the world.
Here we emphasise the importance of just settlement to chronic regional clashes and crises, that until this day, continue to drain energies all around the globe.
In this context, peace is the ideal and strategic solution for the Middle East, and the region will not enjoy safety or stability until there is an end to the Israeli occupation of all Arab lands; until the Palestinian people are granted the right to establish their own independent state with Jerusalem as its capital at the 1967 borders prescribed in legitimate international and Arab resolutions.
What is saddening is how the UN Security Council has failed to fulfil its legal and moral obligations to preserve international peace and safety against the colonisation, wrath, destruction, incarceration, and siege performed by Israel. Nothing was done to even pressure or threaten sanctions against Israel, compared to what is normally done for other nations who commit less aggressive acts.
This reflects the double standards that prevail in handling the issues of nations. It contradicts, even lays waste to, international legitimacy, and harms the international community’s credibility before the peoples of the world.
It is apparent that the UN Security Council’s failure to settle several conflicts has resulted in a failure of the universal system of safety, which creates a lush environment for violence and instability. In this situation, it is impossible to achieve safety and stability, or strengthen democracy or human rights.
The international community, and the UN Security Council in particular, has failed to exert serious efforts to end the Syrian crisis and achieve the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people despite their ongoing suffering from destruction, genocide, murder, and displacement by the Syrian regime, crossing all lines that have been established by international morality, laws, and customs, as well as basic human values and ideologies. The Syrian regime even went so far as to deploy chemical warfare against its own innocent civilian population in a blatant violation and defiance of the international community’s will and international laws.
The United Nations Security Council must perform its responsibility to take all measures in its power, drawing on international law and international humanitarian law, to preserve the safety and security of the Syrian people and achieve their legitimate aspirations in accordance with the Geneva 1 resolutions.
Esteemed guests,
Terrorism represents a serious threat to international peace and security, harms the economies of nations it targets, and represents an obstacle to the sustainable development of nations. Recent events in several countries around the Middle East and the rest of the world stand as proof, leading to innocent civilian casualties and hampering their development.
Therefore, it has become a necessity for the international community, now more than ever, to intensify collaboration to eliminate this disease by seriously addressing the roots of chronic, organised, and neglected violence, represented in extreme poverty, staggering injustice, disregard of human rights, and sectarian and political exclusion.
If combating terrorism is confined to security and military solutions, peace, security, and prosperity will remain impossible goals to achieve.
I emphasise that we must bear in mind the clear distinction between terrorism and nations’ legitimate rights to fight for their freedom and lawful rights.
Your Majesties, Excellencies and Highnesses,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The fortification and preservation of human rights is one of the main demands of the Arab peoples, who have called for change and good governance as a real guarantee for both their freedoms and the realisation of social equality. Governments abandoning their duties are undoubtedly the main reason behind corruption, extremism, or chaos, all of which form an obstacle to their nations’ legitimate rights.
Achieving nations’ aspirations paves the way
for providing political and social security and prosperity, which in turn opens the door to integrated development in all its forms. This requires massive investments which are not available in poorer nations that need to diversify their sources of income, and develop their economies, education, and healthcare sectors, not to mention eradicating poverty and providing the infrastructure required for all sectors.
Therefore, the international community must support the efforts of these nations to reach their sustainable development goals when approving the post-2015 development plan in September, through developed and wealthy nations holding fast to their promises to increase financial and the technical aid they already provide.
In this regard, I would like to point out that the State of Qatar has fulfilled all of its international commitments to provide developmental aid to the countries of our region in addition to the rest of the world.
There is no doubt that achieving development is a joint responsibility between governments, the public sector, and civil society. A person who benefits from development must join efforts toward socioeconomic development by being receptive to education, training, and participation in investment through innovative initiatives and entrepreneurship, supported by companies, organisations, and businessmen. This is a social responsibility in achieving social justice and development.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We understand the weight of the issues and topics discussed in this forum, and look forward to the results, which we believe will be positive and fruitful.
Thank you, and may peace and mercy of Allah be upon you.