Qatar PM: Gaza ceasefire talks in delicate stage

DOHA, April 17 (KUNA) -- Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said the negotiations on ceasefire and release of hostages in the Gaza Strip entered a delicate and complicated stage.
"Regrettably the talks are staggering back and forth and we try our best to put an end to the suffering of the Palestinians people and the hostages alike," he said at a joint press conference with visiting Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in Doha on Wednesday.
Sheikh Mohammad urged the belligerent parties to avoid escalating the conflict and prevent the Middle East sliding into a new round of violence.
He reiterated condemnation of all forms of violence against civilians under any pretexts, saying, "The policy of collective punishment being pursued by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank poses a great peril to the entire region." He urged the international community to stop using double standards in dealing with the conflict in Gaza, prevent the persistent attacks on Palestinians and end the stifling siege on the Gaza Strip.
Denouncing the Israeli attempts to starve the residents of Gaza and deny them access to humanitarian assistance, Sheikh Mohammad said, "The relief aid should never be used as a ploy to achieve political ends." The Qatari prime minister stressed that durable peace is unlikely in the region without establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the pre-June 1967 borderlines with Jerusalem as its capital city.
On his part, the Romanian prime minister said his visit to Qatar sends a message of solidarity with Qatar, the United States and the European Union in their efforts to restore security and stability in the Middle East.
Ciolacu commended Qatar's mediation efforts which helped resolve several highly complicated international disputes over the past years.
He added that Romania was ready to join the efforts of international partners to prevent expansion of the conflict in the Middle East.
On the bilateral ties, he voiced desire to make his country a gateway for the Qatari investments in Europe and promote the mutually beneficial cooperation with Qatar. (end) sss.gb