Qatar has urged Gulf Arab nations to enter into a dialogue with Iran, saying it was the right time for Doha to negotiate now that neighbors have begun to settle their own differences.
Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who has long convened a summit between leaders of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council and the Islamic Republic, said his government “hoped this it happened and we still believe that this should happen. “
“It simply came to our notice then CCG countries, ”he said Bloomberg TV in an interview.
The comments come days before Joe Biden settles in the White House with the promise of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and backing the “maximum pressure” campaign he garnered support. of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He has already appointed a number of diplomats who helped forge the original deal policy publications.
Qatar recently corrected a rift with Arab Gulf neighbors that had been sunk for more than three years and focused on allegations that it was monitoring militant groups and undermining attempts to isolate Iran from regional influence and nuclear ambitions. they fear.
The Arab Gulf states agree to restore Qatar’s ties in an agreement with the United States
A key A U.S. ally in the world’s largest oil-exporting region, Qatar denies supporting terrorism and maintaining cordial ties with the Islamic Republic, with which it shares a major gas field in the Persian Gulf.
This puts one of the world’s largest gas exporters in a position to act as an intermediary, as the change in the White House causes broader regional realignments and a move away from confrontation.
Sheikh Mohammed said his government had offered to do just that and was already supporting ongoing talks between Iran and South Korea to secure the release of an oil tanker confiscated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. earlier this month.
South Korea seeks Qatari Help to free the closed tank for Iran
“Qatar will facilitate negotiations if interested parties request it and will support whoever is chosen to do so,” he said. “We want the realization, we want the deal to happen,” he said of possible talks between the U.S. and Iran. “Wherever they are, whoever is conducting this negotiation, we will support them.”
Although Qatar offers itself as a regional mediator, Sheikh Mohammed said there was still a way to go to resolve differences with the United Arab Emirates.
Asked about Doha’s position on Islamist political movements, which Abu Dhabi sees a threat to stability, saying it was important to try to bridge the gap, but “we will support what people want and what people seek for their countries. If they seek justice through peaceful ways to express the which they believe is right, Qatar will continue to support the people. “
Still, the minister said he and his UAE counterparts were in direct communication and working to solve the exceptional problems. “Here in Qatar we are looking forward,” he said. “We don’t need to be hostages of the past.”
– With the assistance of Abbas Al Lawati and Zainab Fattah
(Add details on the UAE discussions in the last paragraph)