Doha: The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, is “not well advised” and his decisions are made in a “weird” and “irresponsible” way, and that instead of using force inside and outside his country, he should focus on the well-being of his people, said Former prime minister and foreign minister of Qatar H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani in an interview with France 24.
He discussed the ongoing Gulf crisis, the war in Syria and the stalled Middle East peace process.
Former PM told France 24 that Doha was taken by surprise by the blockade by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and their allies in June 2017, claiming the real objective of this move was "to overthrow" the Emir of Qatar.
He pointed out in the interview that the Trump administration, after initially siding with the Saudis and Emiratis, had now reversed course. He added that for the time being, he did not see any hope for a solution to the crisis.
Meanwhile, Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani accused Saudi Arabia and the UAE of “breaking the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)” by targeting Qatar.
He also noted that after being initially hopeful about “MBS” and his self-proclaimed reform agenda, he had now changed his mind. “I am disappointed” by Mohammed bin Salman, the former Qatari PM told France 24.
He also said that the Emirati leader Mohamed bin Zayedis acting as a negative influence on the Saudi crown prince. He added that he still hoped the crown prince would come to his senses.
On Iran, he urged the Trump administration to resolve its differences with Tehran in a peaceful way and also stressed that the GCC needed to engage in a serious dialogue with Iran.
When asked about the Middle East peace process, the former Qatari PM said he “still believed in a Palestinian state” and that the Trump administration could broker a deal between Israel and the Palestinians. He lamented that the Trump administration was not talking to the Palestinians and warned that it had to change its approach and stop listening only to Benyamin Netanyahu and a handful of Arab countries in the region, namely Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He stressed that the Palestinians could not be pressured by force or money to accept a deal, and regretted that Saudi Arabia and the UAE were doing so in order to “please the American administration”.
