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Assad''s speech brought nothing new -- Qatar PM

DOHA, Jan 9 (KUNA) -- Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani on Wednesday urged the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to consider the interest of his country and take a bold decision to stop the bloodshed.
"All parties are now ready for any real and quick solution to stop the bloody conflict in Syria," Qatar News Agency quoted Sheikh Hamad as saying in an interview with Al Jazeera Satellite TV Channel this evening.
"The speech, made by Al-Assad three days ago, did not come up with something new to resolve the crisis in the country but comes within framework of ongoing procrastination, as if the crisis in Syria began a week or a month ago," Sheikh Hamad regretted.
He stressed that the Arab League was not powerless about Syria crisis but did not do what needed to be to done in full. Dealing with his previously-unannounced visit to Egypt and his meeting with the UN- Arab League Joint Envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, Sheikh Hamad said: "The visit was in fact scheduled to follow up the bilateral ties between the two brotherly countries Egypt and Qatar, and there was also an agreement for a meeting with Lakhdar Brahimi, to review the t trilateral or bilateral talks between Russia and the United States on Syria." "We also talked with other parties that participated in this meeting and how to follow up this meeting, and as you know there is another meeting between Russia and the United States attended by Lakhdar Brahimi.
"We support this path because if there is an understanding between the two countries and China, this will facilitate the process of reaching a solution at the Security Council" Sheikh Hamad went on.
"Brahimi has extensive experience and we are in the Arab League and the Committee on Syria we fully support his efforts, and we are sure he is the right person if there is a solution. The problem in fact is in the Syrian side and its procrastination," the Prime Minister noted.
Asked about the Russian stance on the Syrian crisis, he said: "I do not think that the Russians were maneuvering, we may disagree with them in views on this issue but I do not think they are maneuvering as this issue has become, however, at the hand of the Syrian people and the resistance, and not at the hand of the Arab or even the international organizations." He added that the Arab and international organizations are required first to relief the Syrian people, to stop the bloodshed through stern decisions by the Security Council a matter which did not happen, moreover these organizations are also required to help the Syrian people to defend itself this also did not happen. (end) ma.gb KUNA 100008 Jan 13NNNN