Qatar Participates in Military Action Against Libya - HE the Premier

Doha, March 20 (QNA) - HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani said that Qatar will take part in the ongoing military action against Libya.
Speaking to Aljazeera TV channel after the conclusion of Paris Summit yesterday , HE the Prime Minister said that the reason behind the Qatari decision was to stop the killing and targeting of civilians in Libya.
He added that Qatar's participation in this military operation stems from the belief that Arab countries should take part in this action since the situation there (in Libya) is intolerable.
"We are watching the killing there and the way it is committed... this is not a confrontation between demonstrators and police, but it is rather a declared war being waged in which mercenaries are participating. And this should be stopped immediately."
He further said that Qatar's position has been clear from the beginning and is based on the idea that any harm against the Libyan people is unacceptable and that blood bath in Libya must end.
He stressed that Qatar's participation is not intended to cause any harm to Libyan people, nor colonel (Gaddafi) and his sons but is intended to put an end to the blood bath.
Regarding patience and hesitation over the situation in Libya, HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister said if there had been any opinion or a solution, it should have been forwarded to us as the massacres are going on for weeks or could a group from Arab states have gone to persuade the authorities there (in Libya) to halt fighting and we would have been the first to join them.
HE Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim said the Arab League Council did not ask the West to intervene in Libya but it rather asked the United Nations to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to protect civilians.
He said we asked the United Nations, we cooperate with it, participate with it and acknowledge its resolutions. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim said from the beginning he hoped that the Arabs would do that, "but regrettably nothing was done so far". We hope in the future that the Arabs would have a mechanism at the Arab League regarding such issues, adding that Libya is overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and is an important country to the West and an important country to the Arabs .
Concluding, HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister said the Libyan people concerns us in Qatar and HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani is feeling continuous pain for seeing what is happening now to the Libyan people.(QNA)