A panel on the Qatari 'true' role by ASPA

CAIRO- 28 July 2017: The Austrian Society for Policy Analysis held a panel discussion in the German city of Munich under the title, “Qatar, Strategic partner or a destabilizing force”, including the British Assistan Professor at King’s college London “David Roberts”, and Austrian Managing Editor at Der Standard “Gudrun Harrer”.

The discussion sought to solve the Qatari dilemma, by figuring out the Emirate’s policies and plans, to realize whether it is a terrorism funding state or key Player in the trouble region of the Middle East.

Roberts said that the Emirate represent a two-faces policy, by funding terrorism directly sometimes, and other times utilize tools such as charities to fund entities linked to terrorist militias.

Roberts highlighted the close connection between Qatar and extreme Islamists, by mentioning the emirate’s links with Hamas, and al-Qaeda affiliated organization in Syria Al-Nusra front.

The English professor justified such connection by returning decades in the past, telling the story of how the Emirate was a refuge for several Muslim Brotherhood leaders who escaped authorities in states like Egypt, Syria and Iraq, in the Sixties and Seventies of the last century.

“The first attempt to box Qatar was executed by Saudi Arabian kingdom in 2002, by withdrawing its ambassador in Doha, to send a new one in 2008 in return of having Al-Jazeera News coverage loosen towards the Kingdom.”, said Roberts.

He added that Qatar funded extremism in states like Libya and Syria to fulfill more than purpose, including playing as a mediator to release hostages held by extreme militias.

Harrer said that Qatar support extreme militias in coordination with many Western Powers, noting that some of those militias are even being supported directly by the West.