Qatar To Host Gaza Ceasefire Talks With Abbas And U.N. Chief

Qatar will host a meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday to try to reach a ceasefire agreement with Israel to bring an end to 12 days of warfare, a senior Qatari source told Reuters.

Due to take place in Doha, the meeting will be headed by the Gulf state’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who has been acting as a “channel of communication” between Hamas and the international community, said the senior source familiar with the matter.

“Qatar has presented Hamas’ requests to the international community, the list has been presented to France and to the U.N., the talks tomorrow will be to further negotiate these conditions.”

Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has rejected Egyptian efforts to end fighting that has killed more than 300 Palestinians, mostly civilians, saying any deal must include an end to a blockade of the coastal area and a recommitment to a ceasefire reached in an eight-day war there in 2012.

A U.N. statement said that Ban will be traveling to the Middle East over the weekend “to express solidarity with Israelis and Palestinians and to help them, in coordination with regional and international actors, to end the violence and find a way forward”.

It added that he will be traveling to Doha, Kuwait City, Cairo, Jerusalem, Ramallah and Amman and that other stops might be added.

Western diplomatic sources see Qatar as a strategic player in reaching an effective ceasefire deal as the wealthy Gulf state plays host to a large number of exiled Islamists from across the Middle East, including Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal.

The senior Qatari source added that Abbas is also due to hold talks with Meshaal following his meeting with the United Nations chief.

“Qatar will not put any pressure on Hamas to bring down or reduce or change their demands, Qatar is only acting as a communication channel,” the source said.

Egypt said on Saturday it had no plans to revise the ceasefire proposal, which Hamas has already rejected. And a Hamas source in Doha said the group has no plans to change their conditions to a ceasefire.

“We want the rights of our people, Palestinians on the ground are supporting us and we will get them back their rights,” said the source.

Source : Reuters