Sheikh Hamad meets Shaloum in Paris: sacrifices needed from Israel, the Palestinians
Qatar-Israel, Politics, 5/15/2003

Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasem Bin Jaber al-Thani in Paris met yesterday with his Israeli counterpart Salvan Shaloum in the first meeting of its kind for Shaloum with an Arab foreign minister since he was appointed a foreign minister on February 27th.

In a press conference he had held with Sheikh Hamad, Shaloum said "this meeting gives the sign of hope to the region as a whole." He added "I do think that our meeting today might be the beginning for better relations for each Israel and Qatar and for Israel and the Arab World." Shaloum described the meeting as "an important step towards bringing peace to Israel and the Arab world."

Sheikh Hamad said that Qatar is interested to playing a role to convince Israel and the Palestinians on ending 30 months of violence and returning back to the negotiations. He said "there is no alternative for negotiations." He said "however, it is imperative for the two sides to render sacrifices." The Israeli TV said that the real value of the meeting for its symbolic value. It noted intensive contact held along last week through the Israeli envoy in Qatar, Yaqoub Haddas, that concentrated on messages from Shaloum to Sheikh Hamad urging him to convene the meeting.

The TV added that within the last 24 hours the "sudden development" took place in the Qatari position when Sheikh Hamad announced readiness to meet with Shaloum in Paris.

The Israeli TV said that the Qataris disappointed the hopes of increasing the level of relations with Israel despite Israel's frank demands on that. The Qatari minister asked Israel to extend the helping hand to the Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas.

Qatar which has been establishing economic relations with Israel, but without diplomatic relations, announced the closure of the Israeli trade mission in Doha ( which was opened in 1996, but the Israeli employees did not leave Qatar before it had hosted the Organization of the Islamic Conference OIC summit in 2000. Doha did not severe its contacts with Israel and Sheikh Hamad met with his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres in July 2002 in Paris.

Sheikh Hamad had told the American CNN that "if this serves the country and its interests, a peace treaty can be discussed with Israel."

Previous Stories:
  Israeli daily and Qatar's alliances   (12/31/2002)
  Israeli delegation in Qatar   (12/10/2002)
  Paris: Peres meets with Qatari peer   (7/29/2002)

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