NEW YORK — Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani told Breitbart News exclusively on Thursday that peace negotiations over ending the conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remain ongoing in Doha, Qatar’s capital, and that the hope is a broader deal can be reached soon.
Al Thani’s interview with Breitbart News came on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly here in New York City, and in the aftermath of an Israeli military strike on Doha a few weeks ago that has left much of the Arab world embittered. Al Thani said that strike has “disrupted” other peace mediation talks the Qataris have been leading on, like those on the Rwanda-DRC issues. That being said, Al Thani said Qatar will not be deterred and will keep trying to reach a broader deal on Rwanda and DRC and in other theaters in which it is mediating.
“We are still progressing on that and we are working very closely with the administration here in the U.S. in order to bring a lasting peace over there,” Al Thani said in a wide-ranging interview at Qatar’s permanent mission to the United Nations. “It’s still an ongoing effort. The problem that I always circle back to on the issue of the Middle East is that the attack that happened in Doha has disrupted our mediation efforts in a lot of files whether it’s American hostages’ releases in different parts of the world or conflicts like DRC and Rwanda and these kinds of things. We are still trying to bring things back and put them on the right track but we are still active in diplomacy. We will not give up. We will keep going. We will keep pushing to help and support the U.S. and help and support the region.”
Rwanda’s and DRC’s foreign ministers signed an initial peace agreement in Washington, DC, earlier this year, but key hurdles remain to a lasting peace in the region. Qatar’s role in the talks over peace between the two African nations has focused around a deal on M23, a paramilitary group operating inside DRC. After that next phase of the deal is finalized—which would help usher in economic prosperity in both countries—then President Donald Trump has made it clear he intends to host the presidents of both Rwanda and DRC at the White House for a signing ceremony and summit.
Al Thani told Breitbart News that Qatar has made engaging in mediation for peace the central plank of his nation’s foreign policy agenda. Qatar has hosted mediation talks for generations, including most recently between Israel and Hamas but also between the U.S. and Afghanistan as well as between the U.S. and Iran.
“I think that if you look at the way Qatar is uniquely positioned having good relationships with everyone and having open channels with all the parties and trying to be an active mediator by convening those negotiations and trying to enforce them in a way to stay in the right direction, this is something that we have adopted as part of our foreign policy,” Al Thani said. “It’s the core of our foreign policy. We believe that this is one of the main pillars that Qatar can contribute. Given those factors, I believe what we are doing with proven results by tying these mediations with a lot of a development agenda for post-conflicts and other things has been helping a lot.”
Al Thani said that tying peace negotiations with economic prosperity in the future—an approach Trump has similarly embraced as president of the United States—is key to the broader success of any mediation.
“It’s basically when you bring peace and bring along with it economic prosperity, that’s what will make the peace lasting,” Al Thani told Breitbart News. “Basically, I believe that this kind of getting and tying the peace with economic interests and economic development, it’s a very viable way to get to a lasting peace.”
While Qatar does have relations with China and Russia, the main BRICS countries, Al Thani told Breitbart News that his nation’s biggest relationship in energy is with the United States.
“We have a trade relationship with China and we are a net exporter for them in gas,” Al Thani told Breitbart News. “With Russia, we have an investment relationship. We don’t—we are a competitor at the end of the day in the gas market. But mainly, our biggest relationship in the energy sector is with the United States.”
More broadly than on energy, Al Thani said that Qatar’s relations with the United States are deep. Of course, Qatar has the biggest air base hosting U.S. armed forces anywhere in the world outside the United States.
“Our partnership has multiple fronts,” Al Thani said. “One is, of course, defense is at the core of this partnership. The CENTCOM where we are housing more than 10,000 U.S. soldiers over there. It’s the largest air base for the U.S. outside the United States. I believe this represents the core of the U.S. and Qatar defense and security partnership between the two countries. Also, on the energy front, there are projects worth $2 trillion between the two countries, either American investments in Doha or Qatari investments in oil and gas here in the U.S. Those reciprocal investments are actually at the heart of this partnership and this relationship, and of course in other areas like education, culture, and businesses.”
More from Al Thani’s interview with Breitbart News is forthcoming.
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