After Doha helped mediate, Qatari diplomat Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi says nation is dedicated to efforts to de-escalate conflicts.
Qatari diplomat Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi has welcomed the peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), saying that it got here after a number of rounds of talks, a few of which had been held in Doha.
The deal, signed in Washington, DC, on Friday with backing from the US and Qatar, will see Rwandan troopers withdraw from the DRC and the 2 international locations arrange mechanisms to reinforce commerce and safety cooperation.
“We hope that the perimeters will adhere to the phrases of the settlement to de-escalate and bolster the safety and stability of the … area,” al-Khulaifi, who serves as minister of state on the Ministry of Overseas Affairs, instructed Al Jazeera.
Al-Khulaifi added that the meeting between Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame, hosted by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha in March, was adopted by a sequence of talks, paving the way in which for Friday’s deal.
“Qatar enjoys glorious relationships with each international locations and has earned the belief of each international locations as a mediator and worldwide accomplice attempting to resolve these points,” he stated.
“Doha was a platform for these conferences, and we contributed [to reaching the agreement] with the US.”
The Reuters information company reported earlier this month that Qatar offered a draft peace proposal to Rwanda and the DRC after negotiations in Doha.
On Friday, the US Division of State stated the US, Qatar, the African Union and Togo “will proceed to interact each events to make sure implementation of the obligations specified by the settlement”.
The settlement has sparked hopes of ending the battle within the DRC, the place the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has been advancing within the resource-rich east of the nation.
The renewed violence had raised fears of igniting a full-blown conflict, akin to the wars that the DRC endured within the late Nineties, involving a number of African international locations, which killed tens of millions of individuals.
“Qatar absolutely believes in dialogue because the cornerstone for resolving battle by peaceable means,” al-Khulaifi stated.
“Qatar believes that mediation is a pillar of its overseas coverage. That’s why, hopefully, you will see that Qatar all the time racing to attempt to resolve points between international locations, even international locations which are geographically removed from Qatar.”
Qatar has performed a key function in securing diplomatic offers in numerous conflicts the world over over the previous years. Most lately, it helped mediate the ceasefire settlement that ended the 12-day warfare between Israel and Iran.
“What pleases me is that this settlement got here days after one other settlement which Qatar contributed to with the US – and that’s the ceasefire between Iran and Israel,” al-Khulaifi stated. “Qatar is not going to spare any efforts to interact in additional makes an attempt to de-escalate and pursue peaceable means to finish these conflicts.”