DOHA: Qatar, the small Gulf kingdom, is a big player.
Heavyweight deals to its name, negotiated in its capital Doha , include the Sudanese peace deal and the agreement in May 2008 that brought Lebanon ’s 18-month political standstill to an end.
The formidable guest list for the signing of the Lebanon deal included European Union Policy Chief Javier Solana, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Secretary General of the Arab League ‘Amru Mousa, and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia , Iran and Syria .
It was a manifestation of the diverse interests the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, managed to bring together.
“Qatar made a conscious decision to find its role in the region and fill a gap to distinguish itself in the political and foreign policy arena,” Shadi Hamid, deputy director of the Brookings Doha Centre in Qatar , told The Media Line. “Becoming a neutral space for opposing sides to debate was part of this strategy.”
“Qatar does have tension with some of its neighbours,” he said. “But it is in the unique position of having good relations with both the pro-United States and the pro-Iran players in the region.”
“Who else can claim a good working relationship with both the US and Iran at the same time?” Hamid asked.
Professor Lansine Kaba, visiting professor of history at Carneige Mellon University in Qatar, agreed with Hamid’s assessment.
“For some years now, many deeds of different natures and in different sectors have indicated that Qatar is striving to become a significant player on the global scene of diplomacy and to carve for itself a strong foreign visibility,” Kaba told The Media Line. “Its leadership has made a conscious effort to succeed therein.”
The Qatari involvement has stretched beyond the Middle East to include the Darfur conflict.
“A special appreciation is in order for the Emir Sheikh Hamad, whose tireless efforts and generous contributions have been pivotal,” an official February 23 Sudanese statement said after the Darfur Peace deal was signed.
“His country has engaged in and hosted numerous talks while leading the way in addressing the root causes of the issues, including a 1bn US dollar donation towards development.”
The deal was signed between Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, who is wanted by the
International Criminal Court on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and Darfur ‘s main rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement.
The signing comes after over a year of Doha’s sponsorship of the Darfur peace negotiations between the Sudanese government and the two principal rebel groups, the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Army, which has said it will not negotiate with the government until there is an end to all violence in Darfur.
“Qatar’s efforts at regional conflict resolution are motivated by several factors,” Mehran Kamrava, interim dean at the School of Foreign Service at the Centre for International and Regional Studies, at Georgetown University in Qatar, told The Media Line.
“Chief among which are the imperatives of regional stability, the desire to emerge as diplomatically well-positioned, to have as many friends as possible – which is important for a small state like Qatar – and to ensure that Saudi Arabia, which has often played a similar role in the past, doesn’t get all the credit and the benefits for negotiating regional peace.”
“The chief strategists of Qatari foreign policy are currently the Emir and the Prime Minister,” Kamrava said.
In addition to political deals Doha has lent its name to the latest round of talks between the 153 member states of the World Trade Organization (WTO), referred to as the Doha Development Agenda.
The WTO aims to liberalize international trade and provide a forum for nations to negotiate trade agreement and to settle disputes.
Talks started in early 2000 and have been followed by five meetings, held in Mexico, Hong Kong and Switzerland, but due to the complex nature of the negotiations, a final agreement still looms far away.
The negotiations include reaching agreements on 21 different topics ranging from agriculture and services, to problems developing countries face in implementing the current WTO agreements.
