New round of ceasefire talks to begin in Doha

DOHA: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has said that a new round of talks will begin in Doha in the coming days for a ceasefire in Gaza.

He said that US and Israeli delegations will meet in Doha to discuss potential ceasefire.

Addressing a joint press conference with US Secretary of State H E Antony Blinken, the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said that after passage of one year of Israeli war on Gaza, the conflict had developed to reach Lebanon and other areas in the Middle East.

“Today was an important and fruitful meeting. We had the opportunity to discuss first the latest developments in the war on Gaza and the path to reaching a solution and of course the ongoing efforts between the State of Qatar, the United States of America and the Arab Republic of Egypt in the region to reach a solution.”

He said that the first priority is to stop the war and release hostages and prisoners. “Unfortunately, from the beginning of this war, we have been warning against the development and expansion of the conflict to other areas in the Middle East. We see today the war has also expanded to Lebanon and other areas.”

The discussion, he said, on ways to stop the war in Lebanon took up a large part and on how to reach an urgent solution to stop this aggression against Lebanon and adhere to the Security Council resolutions especially Resolution 1701.

“Unfortunately, in the past few days, we have seen the intensity of Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, especially in the northern region, and we condemn this siege on northern Gaza, and the systematic bombing of hospitals and the refugee camps.”

He noted that everyone must show a sense of responsibility towards the civilians in the region. “We had the opportunity to talk about the importance of finding a solution and sustainable peace for the Palestinian issue. Our discussions today on this file were constructive discussions.”

Replying to questions, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said that ceasefire efforts are ongoing, they have been ongoing since October 8, 2023.

“The first thing is to stop the war and then also to prevent the expansion of the war. The efforts in November (last year) resulted in the release of some prisoners and hostages and a temporary ceasefire, and unfortunately since that time we have been trying as much as possible to reach an agreement on this war.”

“Unfortunately, the negotiations went through several stages. These stages had major challenges, and every time we got closer to a solution, unfortunately, there was a regression in the steps.” He said that meeting with Secretary Blinken was fruitful. “We were informed of the results of his discussions in Israel. And what is the direction towards the war.”

He added: “As for the negotiations, there is a negotiating team from the United States that will visit Doha in addition to the negotiating team from the Israeli side, and the ways in which a breakthrough in these negotiations can be achieved will be discussed?” “We are talking about the existence of an opportunity. Opportunities are always available, if there is a willingness on the part of the parties to end this war. We have repeated before several times that the mediator’s role is limited in the event that any party is not engaged in these talks in a constructive and positive way. We hope that this behaviour has changed.”

He noted: “Now, we hope that pressure will be applied, meaning that our pressure will continue on each party to reach an agreement. I believe that the Secretary (Blinken), in his press statement a short while ago, mentioned that the same priority exists for the United States. And we hope that this will lead to positive results.”

To a question about Hamas’ stand, the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said: “Regarding our communication with Hamas and its leadership, we reengaged with them. We’ve been in an engagement with the representative from the political office and we had some meetings with them in the last couple of days. I believe that until now, there is no clarity about what will be the way forward or the clear position.”

To another question, he said that Al Jazeera is an independent media outlet. “We are very proud of it as an institution that has gained respect around the world. Its coverage for different conflict zone being praised. Covering the conflicts in the Middle East, even we see their coverage, whether it’s on the war in Ukraine or other areas in the world.”

US Secretary of State Blinken expressed his appreciation for H H the Amir and Qatar for their essential role to diffuse Gaza crisis. “As our partner (Qatar) is trying to bring peace, trying to bring stability, trying to bring progress to this region.”

He said that Qatar played an indispensable role in the work to bring the hostages home. "To end the war and to chart a better future for people in Gaza, the Prime Minister personally has spared no effort. We have an opportunity today to talk about the way forward on the effort to bring the hostages home and to get a ceasefire. Partly this involves an assessment of exactly where Hamas stands.”

He added: “Throughout this trip including with H H the Amir and the Prime Minister today we discussed concrete ideas that we’ve been developing for security, for governance, for reconstruction in Gaza. This is a moment for every country to decide what role it is prepared to play and what contributions it can make?” Blinken said that it is imperative that we continue to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “The extraordinary challenges that the children, the women, the men of Gaza, are encountering every single day. And that’s all the more urgent with winter approaching. And we’re deeply conscious of that.”

“Here again I have to say Qatar’s generosity over these many months has been extraordinary. Qatar dispatched thousands of tonnes of food, medical supplies of life saving assistance to the people of Gaza.”