(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Irfan Bukhari
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The Peninsula
DOHA: Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari has said that Qatar along with several Arab countries called on the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and various European Union countries for a ceasefire in Lebanon.
“The situation between Lebanon and Israel since October 8 is intolerable and poses an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation,” he said in weekly media briefing.
He added that since the outbreak of the conflict in Lebanon, communication with all parties and regional partners has been ongoing to de-escalate tensions and reach a ceasefire.
“The attack on Lebanon is unjustifiable, representing a full-scale war rather than a so-called limited escalation, with over 600 people killed within two days, a number that accounts for 50 percent of the casualties from the 2006 war, which lasted a full month.”
He also announced that Qatar had successfully reunited 10 Ukrainian children and four Russian children with their families yesterday (Thursday) as part of its mediation efforts to bring together children affected by the war between Russia and Ukraine.
He said that the mediation has been ongoing for months and had earlier resulted in the reunification of 48 children with their families - five from Russia and 43 from Ukraine.
“I appreciate the cooperation between both parties in ensuring the safe return of these children to their families and shielding them from the consequences of the war.”
On Lebanon, he said that the international community must act to stop this war and urged the parties involved to cease fighting, especially since there is a consensus that this escalation is leading to an unacceptable cycle of violence that cannot be ignored, given the complete absence of peace partners and political will to reach an agreement.
“The situation in Lebanon is not separate from the events in Gaza, but there is a track working on the Lebanese file which is more urgent, and another involving multiple parties working to stop the war in Gaza, adding that there is no doubt that there is a significant overlap between the two files, but the reality of the matter is that a state's sovereignty is being violated, and a besieged Strip is being subjected to all forms of abuse by the Israeli occupation.”
On Gaza, he said that preventing aid from entering constitutes a fully-fledged crime.“Recently, a statement from 15 relief organisations reported that Gaza's residents are consuming only one meal a day due to delays in aid entry. These organisations highlighted that 83 percent of essential food aid is being blocked from reaching the besieged strip due to border closures.”
Dr. Al Ansari noted that these actions as deliberate starvation and the use of food and medicine as weapons in the conflict, which primarily affects innocent civilians, including women and children. He warned that this matter could be repeated in Lebanon and other regions unless the international community takes a decisive stance and holds Israel accountable.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs official spokesperson confirmed that Qatari citizens will soon be able to travel to the United States without a visa, following Qatar's inclusion in the US Visa Waiver Programme on September 20. He explained that the inclusion of the State of Qatar in the US Visa Waiver Programme reflects the strategic relationship between the two countries and crowns the bilateral ties across various fields.
He emphasised that this US visa exemption for Qatari citizens demonstrates the significant level of confidence in Qatar's safety, both locally and in its international relations.
He also mentioned that a few months ago, Japan announced a visa exemption for Qatari citizens, following a similar announcement from the United Kingdom, where Qataris were the first to benefit from the new Electronic Travel Authorisation programme, which eases travel procedures. Additionally, Uzbekistan announced in August 2023 that it would waive visa requirements for Qatari citizens.
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