Qatar’s Defence Minister Al Attiyah says Qatar will not ‘fuel a war’ in the region
Tomorrow, it will be a year since Qatar started being subjected to an illegal siege by neighbouring countries. Despite the pressure, Qatar has stood strong and steadfast in their principles.
The prospect of a war with Iran has been flying around in the region in recent times. However, Qatar has made it very clear that it would not be the one to ‘fuel a war’ in the region.
Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah said Qatar had ‘a lot of differences’ with Iran but that does not mean ‘we go and fuel a war’ in the region.
“Is it wise to call the United States and to call Israel to go and fight Iran? Whether any third party is trying to push the region or some country in the region to start a war in Iran, this will be very dangerous,” he was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.
The senior Qatari official, speaking at an international security conference in Singapore, did not name any party in his speech.
“Iran is next door. We should call Iran, put all the files on the table and start to discuss to bring peace rather than war,” he was quoted as saying by The Peninsula.
The minister also called for the restoration of a 2015 agreement between world powers and Iran that lifted sanctions from Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.
Responding to a question on whether Qatar’s airbases could be used to launch attacks on Iran, Al Attiyah said his country was not a ‘fan of war’ and supported engagement and dialogue.
Qatar is hosting 10,000 US troops stationed at the sprawling Al Udeid Air Base as part of its campaign against ISIS and the war in Afghanistan.
