US has a key role in Syria: Qatar

QNA

DOHA THE Heir Apparent His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani has stressed that the US has a pivotal and important role to play in helping the Syrian people overcome the ongoing tragic situation.

HH the Heir Apparent expressed these views to US Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday.

HH the Heir Apparent said the Syrian regime had lost its legitimacy after massacring its people, adding that it is impossible to keep a regime that bombs its own people daily.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al Thani has reiterated that Qatar desires stability in the region.

However, “we cannot accept the way the Syrian people have been slaughtered and their sanctities violated”, HE the PM said.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Kerry on Tuesday, the Premier said: “We want stable, legal regimes to develop and promote their countries and their people, and meet their needs, not regimes that work for destruction.” Welcoming Kerry, the Premier said, “This is not his first visit, but his first after becoming Secretary of State, and we know him very well and we are aware of his ability and that he would represent his country in the best way”.

“We discussed a number of important issues including Syria, developments of the so-called ‘Arab Spring’, what is happening in the region and the peace process, as well as the serious role to be played by the US,” the PM said.

On the peace process, the Premier said that it had passed through many problems since the Madrid Conference 20 years ago. He noted that there were times that it was felt that something positive might occur.

At other times “we see that there was procrastination and thus, it became just a process and not a final solution to achieve peace”, he noted.

The Premier reminded that Israel was not bound by the requirements of the peace process over time, regardless of whether it had strong or weak governments. He added: “If there is no agreement on setting a specific timetable for the end of this process, I think there would be a problem and a loss of hope.”