Press TV - Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thanisays Lebanon isthe latest target in aSaudicampaign of intimidation, stressing that the Riyadh regime is simply a bully that risks destabilizing peace and stability in the Middle East region.
Speaking at a round table discussion at a conference in London, the top Qatari diplomat stated that theresignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Haririwas a Saudi decision andforced on him during his time in Riyadh.
Lebanon is a fragile country, and pressuring the prime minister to resign and leave a vacuum in a country which is very sensitive for everybody is a counter-productive policy, Al Thani said.
He added, This is a big country bullying a small country we have seen it in Qatar and now we are seeing it repeated in Lebanon.
Thanks to God and all the allies that contained the situation before it evolved and got worse If it was not contained from the beginning we would have a horrific impact.
Hariri arrived in Beirut late on November 21, more than two weeks after unexpectedly announcing he had quithispost. All political factions in Lebanon had called on him to return home.
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Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri greets his supporters upon his arrival at his home in Beirut, Lebanon, on November 22, 2017. (Photo by AFP)[/caption]Top Lebanese officials and senior politicians close to Hariri had earlier said that he had been forced to resign, and that Saudi authorities were holding him captive.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun had also refused to accept Hariri's resignation.
Al Thani also made a reference to theongoing Saudi-led diplomatic and trade boycott against Qatar, saying a list of 13 demands issued by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egyptin exchange for lifting the restrictions were impossible to meet, and a clear indication that they dont want [the agreement] to be accepted.
They dont want to resolve this - they want our country in submission, which is the main reason they started the entire thing. This is just part of a pattern of impulsive leadership They entered this conflict with no exit strategy, he added.
No one has identified a strategy;no one has any idea on the way forward with them, the Qatari foreign minister pointed out.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrainand Egypt all cut off diplomatic tieswith Qatar on June 5, after officially accusing it of sponsoring terrorism.
The administration of Saudi-backedand resigned Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, Libya, the Maldives, Djibouti, Senegal and the Comoros later joined the camp in ending diplomatic ties. Jordan downgraded itsdiplomatic relations as well.
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A general view taken on September 24, 2017 shows the Navy Special Forces off the coast of the Qatari capital, Doha. (Photo by AFP)[/caption]Qatar's Foreign Ministry later announced that the decisions to cut diplomatic ties were unjustified and based on false claims and assumptions.
Al Thani noted that the Middle East could not afford more turbulence as conflict continues in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Although the Middle East was once a region of peace and co-existence, it has unfortunately been transformed into a region of turbulence and totalitarianism, where extremism flourishes, he said.
What is the root cause of terrorism? Tyranny, totalitarianism, aggression and the absence of justice, the Qatari diplomat said.
Al Thani said24 million children across the Middle East were being left vulnerable to recruitment by terrorist groups, authoritarianism and a lack of education and opportunity.
We need to address this issue of regimes who are not respecting the rights of their people or the law, he commented.
