Newspapers Commend Qatar's Efforts to Achieve Peace, Stability in Afghanistan

Doha, August 18 (QNA) - In their editorials on Wednesday, Qatari newspapers hailed the major and key role of the State of Qatar in the context of international efforts aimed at helping the brothers in Afghanistan to reach the desired peace, by playing a mediating role, with the support of friendly countries. The newspapers stressed that Qatar's endeavors to support the restoration of security, peace and prosperity in Afghanistan reflect its firm foreign policy, which attaches importance to promoting the settlement of disputes through peaceful means and mediation. In this regard, the newspapers highlighted the intense diplomatic mobility that Doha is witnessing with regard to the developments in Afghanistan, noting that HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received a phone call from HE Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Dr. Angela Merkel on Tuesday evening, during which they reviewed the latest developments in Afghanistan. The papers also referred to HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani's meeting yesterday with a delegation of Taliban, and the phone calls HE received, most notably from HE US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and HE Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres. The newspapers agreed that the Qatari diplomacy now is intense, in order to achieve national reconciliation, comprehensive political settlement, and a peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan, with the importance of preserving the gains made by the Afghan people. In its editorial, Al-Sharq daily said that the intense diplomacy that Doha is witnessing with regard to the latest developments in Afghanistan, both in security and political areas, and the repercussions of the existing situation on the Afghan interior, whether through talks that take place between the various parties in Doha, or the phone calls received by the State's officials, reflects the importance of the role Qatar plays and its mediation in the Afghan file. The paper highlighted the phone call HH the Amir received yesterday from HE German Chancellor, during which they reviewed the latest developments on the regional and international arenas, in particular the developments in Afghanistan and their repercussions. It also referred to HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs' meeting yesterday with a delegation of Taliban headed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and the phone calls HE received, most notably from HE US Secretary of State Antony, HE UN Secretary-General, as well as his Indonesian and South Korean counterparts. The daily explained that the issues of national reconciliation in Afghanistan, and the work to intensify the necessary efforts to achieve a comprehensive political settlement and a peaceful transfer of power, preserve the gains made by the Afghan people and protect Afghan civilians have always been the most prominent agenda of this intense diplomacy and political movement that Doha witnessed yesterday. In conclusion, Al-Sharq said that the great mediation efforts undertaken by the State of Qatar with the United Nations and international partners in the Afghan file, and the distinguished relations it enjoys with all parties concerned with the issue of Afghanistan, as well as its successes in resolving many regional and international crises, particularly the historic agreement between the United States and the Taliban movement, have strengthened its international standing and made it a major player in mediating to resolve crises in the world. In turn, Al-Watan said the State of Qatar played a major role in the context of international efforts aimed at helping the brothers in Afghanistan reach the desired peace, through its mediation role, with the support of friendly countries. The paper stressed that Qatar's endeavors to support the restoration of security, peace and prosperity in Afghanistan reflect its firm foreign policy, which attaches importance to promoting the settlement of disputes through peaceful means and mediation. In this regard, the newspaper referred to the phone call HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received yesterday from HE Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Dr. Angela Merkel, during which they reviewed the latest developments on the regional and international arenas, in particular the developments in Afghanistan and their repercussions. Al-Watan also noted HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani's meeting yesterday in Doha, with a delegation of Taliban headed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, to review the latest security and political developments in Afghanistan, and the several calls HE received yesterday from HE US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who thanked the State of Qatar for its role in continuing talks and providing the necessary assistance in the evacuation process. HE also received a call from HE Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, and HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, during which the latest security and political developments in Afghanistan were reviewed, the paper added. The paper underlined that Qatar's efforts over the past years have succeeded in putting happy endings to many crises and conflicts in the region, whether between countries, political groups, armed movements or even opposition forces, noting that these successes are due to Doha's diplomatic capabilities and its strong relations with various parties, in addition to the importance it attaches to this role. Al-Watan concluded by saying that the Qatari diplomacy appears at the peak of its activity in order to achieve national reconciliation in Afghanistan, a comprehensive political settlement, and a peaceful transfer of power, with the importance of preserving the gains made by the Afghan people. Al-Raya newspaper said that the Qatari position on the Afghan issue has always been consistent, as Doha calls for the need to move forward in achieving Afghan reconciliation on the basis of a comprehensive settlement. HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani held a telephone conversation with Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany on Tuesday evening, during which they underlined the importance of continuing the talks and intensifying the necessary efforts to achieve the national reconciliation and the peaceful transfer of power for the interest of the Afghan people, the newspaper said. In this context, Al-Raya referred to HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani's meeting on Tuesday morning with a delegation of Taliban headed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. The meeting stressed on the protection of civilians, intensifying the necessary efforts to achieve national reconciliation, working for a comprehensive political settlement and a peaceful transfer of power, with the importance of preserving the gains made by the Afghan people, the paper added. The newspaper noted the diplomatic movement that Doha witnessed yesterday, as it is an active member in the Afghan file, referring to the phone calls HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs received from Secretary-General of the United Nations, the US Secretary of State and his Indonesian and South Korean counterparts. These phone calls, the paper said, dealt with the Afghan situation and stressed on the need to protect civilians and achieve national reconciliation. The US Secretary of State thanked during the phone call the State of Qatar for its role in continuing talks and providing the necessary assistance in the evacuation process, the paper noted. Since the rapid developments on the Afghan scene, Qatar has confirmed that it is closely following the fast-paced developments of the situation in Afghanistan, called for an immediate, comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in all Afghan territories and stressed on the need for a peaceful transfer of power that paves the way for a comprehensive political settlement that includes all Afghan parties and achieves security and stability in the country, the paper said. Al-Raya concluded by saying that the State of Qatar continues its pioneering role in the Afghan file, as it pledged to continue its efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan through negotiations, stressing that it is necessary to find a comprehensive and immediate political settlement that does not exclude any party. (QNA)