Doha, Qatar: Expressing confidence in the ongoing success of Gaza ceasefire process, Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari has said that the talks on the second phase of truce will begin on the 16th day of the implementation of the first phase.
“The ceasefire stands as long as the negotiations are ongoing. And we will push as much as possible for the deal on phase two to be completed as soon as possible in order to not reach a situation where we might have some difficulties regarding the implementation beyond the 42nd day,” he said in the weekly media briefing yesterday.
But obviously, he said, the main responsibility is of the parties. “Our role is to push as much as possible and we will do. We are already preparing the groundwork for the talks on the 16th day. And we are quite optimistic that we will be able to push it forward.”
He further said, “Qatar is confident in the deal when it comes to the language of the deal and the fact that we have addressed all the major issues on the table; when it comes to the monitoring mechanism in place with the operations room in Cairo; when it comes to the commitment of both sides and the commitment and the support from the international community; and of course the monitors, which includes Qatar.”
But these contexts, Al Ansari said, are not contexts where one can definitely say that they are completely confident that things will go on positively. “Anything on the ground could change the reality, any minute, any breach from either side.”
He said that the deal is in complete implementation of what was agreed upon. “We’re seeing the aid going in as agreed with more than 900 trucks going in... we’re seeing hostages and prisoners exchange happening as agreed on. We are confident by the fact that the deal is being implemented on the ground.”
“But of course it is a very careful confidence... we are monitoring the situation, making sure that we deal with any report of breach immediately, making sure that we validate anything that we get from both sides, making sure that we have very clear lists and very clear technical information going from one side to another.” He said that the checks in place are meant to make sure that things go on positively.
He noted that the international community cannot take this deal for granted. “We have to work together at the international level, all of us, to make sure that both sides understand that it is the will of the international community.”
To a question about possibility of Qatar’s normalisation of ties with Israel under new US administration, Al Ansari said that normalisation with Israel has to be on the side of a permanent solution to the Palestinian issue. “And that will be through a two-state solution... we have always said that this has to be a Pan-Arab decision. It has to be a decision taken as part of solving the Palestinian question and not independent of that.”
He added: “Whenever there is a Pan-Arab decision, whenever there is a Palestinian – whenever the Palestinian issue has been addressed and our brothers in Palestine have a State to call their own and can live side by side with Israel, this is the time when we discuss normalisation.”
“But now we are in a phase where we’re talking about the end of this war, and we are seeing very damning reports from the West Bank regarding Israel’s activities as an occupier in these regions. And therefore, we think that the priority should be given now to stabilising the situation, to making sure that this deal leads to a sustainable peace in Palestine.”
