Qatar warns of summit delay if violence escalates

Qatar's ambassador in Lebanon, Mohammed Ali Al Niami, warned on August 21 that an escalation of Arab-Israeli violence in South Lebanon could lead to the cancellation of Middle East North Africa economic summit planned for November in Doha.

The envoy spoke after handing Lebanese Foreign Minister Fares Boueiz a message from his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Hammad bin Jassem al Thani. Preparations for the meeting in Doha, which Lebanon is planning to boycott, are well under way, according to Naimi, who said there were no plans to postpone the talks, to which Israel has been invited. He added that if Israeli attacks worsened, "Then the Qatari government will reconsider its plans."