Khaberni - Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, announced on Wednesday that he has agreed with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to double efforts to reach the second phase of the Gaza agreement, confirming that an imminent meeting will be held between the mediators regarding this issue.
The Qatari Prime Minister, during a visit to Washington, confirmed that preparations with the American side are underway to hold a meeting between the mediators next Friday to discuss how to proceed to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, which took effect on October 10th.
He mentioned that there is an urgent need to proceed to the second phase of the agreement in Gaza, and also "to form the Palestinian civil administration in Gaza as soon as possible".
He emphasized that his country does not want the force of stability in Gaza, outlined by the Security Council decision last November, to protect one party without the other, as per his description.
He explained that the force of stability in Gaza must protect the agreement to end the war, pointing out that "there are many elements in the agreement to end the war in Gaza that need to be completed."
"Violations threaten the agreement"
He reiterated Qatar's commitment to work with the United States to protect the Gaza war termination agreement, noting that his discussions in Washington addressed issues related to ceasefire violations in Gaza.
Commenting on the ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said that ceasefire violations in Gaza put the mediators in an awkward position, as per his description.
He also confirmed that the humanitarian situation in Gaza occupied a large part of the discussions he had in Congress, where he emphasized the necessity of unconditionally delivering aid to the sector.
The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar warned that the current situation in Gaza jeopardizes the agreement every day.
Rubio emphasized his country's and Qatar's desire for close cooperation to achieve shared goals, noting that Rubio met in Washington with the Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister to launch the seventh strategic dialogue between the two countries.
He reported that the US Secretary of State and the Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister confirmed the strategic partnership between Washington and Doha, discussing economic and security cooperation.
It is noted that according to the Gaza ceasefire agreement, based on US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan, the second phase of the agreement must begin after Hamas releases all living and deceased Israeli captives it holds. Israel says that there is still one dead Israeli captive in the sector awaiting release amid difficulties in searching for corpse remains in Gaza.
According to Trump's plan, the second phase includes establishing the Peace Council and its executive arm, the International Stability Force, as well as the withdrawal of the occupying army to the red line, turning the area controlled by Israel to about 20% of the Gaza Strip area, disarming Gaza and destroying the tunnels, and forming a Palestinian technocratic government.
The Syrian file
The Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister also touched on the Syrian file in his statements in Washington, saying that Doha supports Damascus's stance towards the unity of Syrian territory and fair dealings with all Syrians.
He considered that the opportunity is favorable to activate joint efforts to support the Syrian government following the lifting of sanctions, affirming his country's support for the lifting of sanctions by Congress on Syria to enable it to support its economy.
The US Senate voted on Wednesday to cancel the Caesar Act sanctions on Syria, and the US President signed an executive order last June that ended a significant number of economic sanctions imposed on Damascus.
