Excerpts: Qatar re Israel/Hamas. A little 'Iranian blackmail'? August 21, =

2014

+++Al Arabiya News 21 Aug.=9214:=94Some see Qatar=92s hand in collapse of G=
aza =

talks=94, Associated Press
SUBJECT: Qatar re Israel/Hamas
QUOTE:=94Qatar has been the home to Hamas chied-in-exile Khaled Mashaal sin=
ce =

2012 and has carved ot a role as a key financial patron for Gaza, buying =

influence while shoring up an economy overseen by Hamas=94; =93Qatar and t=
he =

Muslim Brotherhood are working together to undermine Egypt.=94
The explosions rocking the Gaza Strip may seem far removed from the flashy =

cars and skyscrapers of ultra-rich Qatar, but efforts to end fighting =

between Hamas and Israel could hinge on how the tiny Gulf Arab state wields =

its influence over a Palestinian militant group with few friends left.

Qatar has been home to Hamas chief-in-exile Khaled Mashaal since 2012 and =

has carved out a role as a key financial patron for Gaza, buying influence =

while shoring up an economy overseen by Hamas.

That support is prompting accusations that Qatar helped scuttle a lasting =

truce in the monthlong Gaza war, piling on pressure as the U.S. ally finds =

itself increasingly isolated as larger Mideast powers marginalize Islamists =

following the Arab Spring.

An official from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement =

suggested Wednesday [20Aug.]that Qatar torpedoed the peace talks.

After signs of progress last week, Hamas negotiators returned to the table =

after consultations in Qatar with new conditions - prompting a similar =

response by Israel, he said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized =

to discuss the negotiations publicly, said the experience indicated the =

Qataris =93have no interest=94 in seeing Egyptian-led talks succeed, and th=
at =

Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood are working together to undermine Egypt.

The London-based pan-Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat separately quoted a senior =

Fatah official saying Qatar threatened to expel Mashaal if Hamas accepted a=
n =

Egyptian peace proposal.

It said Hamas demanded that Egypt grant Qatar a role in resolving the Gaza =

crisis, but Cairo rejected the idea until Qatar formally apologizes for its =

policies in Egypt since the military overthrow of Brotherhood-backed =

President Mohammed Morsi last summer.

Qatari officials could not be reached to comment on the claims. A =

Qatar-based spokesman for Hamas dismissed the Al-Hayat report as baseless =

and said it was an attempt to sabotage the negotiations.

=93This is nonsense ... The nature of relations between Qatar and Hamas are =

not like that,=94 Hamas spokesman Husam Badran told The Associated Press.

Khaled al-Batsch, a representative of the Islamic Jihad militant group, als=
o =

denied Qatari interference. =93We never felt at any point that there was a =

Qatari presence in the talks,=94 he said.

An Israeli government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because =

he was not authorized to discuss the matter with journalists, said he did =

not know if Qatar actively encouraged Hamas to take a hard line, but said =

Qatar was at least indirectly responsible for the talks' failure.

=93Qatar unfortunately has been part of the problem. They are the major =

supporter of Hamas,=94 the Israeli official said.

Qatar at one point allowed an Israeli trade office to operate there - a =

rarity in the Arab world - before ordering it closed following a 2008 =

Israeli conflict with Hamas.

The outpost's former head, Eli Avidar, told the AP that he believes Qatar =

has =93enormous influence=94 over Hamas and has been pushing Mashaal to tak=
e a =

much more extreme position in negotiations.

=93Right now Qatar is the main problem and definitely not part of the =

solution,=94 he wrote in an email. =93The ruling family in Qatar should =

understand that this is a dangerous game their emir is playing.=94

It is hardly the first time Qatar has been accused of taking an unpopular =

stance in the region.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recalled their =

ambassadors from Qatar in March, saying it failed to uphold its end of a =

security agreement to stop meddling in other nations' politics and backing =

groups threatening regional stability.

Analysts widely saw that as a rebuke of Qatar's support for Islamist groups =

and its activist foreign policy, including its backing of the Al-Jazeera =

satellite network, which has nettled governments across the region.

Qatar's leaders reject suggestions that they are behind Hamas, and insist =

that the Gaza funding is intended for those who live there.

=93Qatar does not support Hamas. Qatar supports the Palestinians,=94 Qatari =

Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah told CNN in late July.

The former Qatari emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has at least publicly =

attempted to promote reconciliation between Hamas and the Western-backed =

Palestinian Authority that governs the West Bank.

He brokered an interim unity government between Abbas and Hamas in early =

2012, but that was never implemented.

Before the year was out, the emir traveled to Gaza, becoming the first head =

of state to visit the seaside territory since Hamas militants seized contro=
l =

in 2007.

He launched more than $400 million worth of projects, including plans for =

housing, a hospital and roads, and called for Palestinian unity.

Khalil Shaheen, a political analyst in Ramallah, suggested the idea that =

Qatar is solely in Hamas' camp is overblown.

He said it has also provided funding for Abbas' government and has not trie=
d =

to tie its Gaza aid to Hamas' military activities.

=93There never was a real crisis between Qatar and the Palestinian Authorit=
y =

even during the worst times between Fatah and Hamas,=94 Shaheen said.

He said Qatar wanted a role in the ceasefire talks based on its good =

relations with Hamas and to show that Egypt is =93not the only dominant pla=
yer =

in the region.=94

For the U.S., Qatar plays a role that it often can't by acting as a =

go-between with groups deemed unsavory by Washington.

It earlier this year brokered the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl i=
n =

exchange for five Taliban operatives in Afghanistan.

U.S. State Dept. spokeswoman Marie Harf described the Qataris as =93a key =

partner=94 in the effort to forge a peace deal in Gaza earlier this week, =

before talks collapsed.

Responding to questions about whether they support terrorism and Hamas, she =

said they play a key role in getting Hamas to agree to a cease-fire.

+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 21 Aug.=9214:=94Iran links Iraq role to lifting =
of =

sanctions=94 Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: A little =91Iranian blackmail=92?
QUOTE:=94Iran=92s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said his country is =

willing to join the fight against ISIS militants if the West lifted its =

crippling sanctions.=94

FULL TEXT:Iran is ready to join international action against militants in =

Iraq provided the West lifts crippling sanctions, Foreign Minister Mohammad =

Javad Zarif said on Thursday.[21 Aug.]

His comments followed a call by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on =

Wednesday[20 Aug.] for all countries in the region, including Iran, to join =

the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters who have =

seized swathes of Iraq as well as neighboring Syria.

"If we agree to do something in Iraq, the other side of the negotiations =

should do something in return," the official IRNA news agency quoted Zarif =

as saying.

"All the sanctions that are related to Iran's nuclear program should be =

lifted," he said.

It is the first time that Iran has explicitly linked its readiness to work =

with the West in Iraq with a lifting of the crippling EU and U.S. sanctions =

imposed over its nuclear program.

Those sanctions are the subject of ongoing talks between Tehran and the =

major powers that are due to resume before the opening of the U.N. General =

Assembly next month.

In return for lifting the sanctions, the Western powers are demanding that =

Iran sharply rein in its nuclear program to ally international concerns =

about its ambitions as part of a comprehensive deal they are seeking to =

strike by November.

The Iranian foreign ministry confirmed on Wednesday[20 Aug.] that =

discussions were under way with several European governments about the =

possibility of joint action against ISIS in Iraq.

Zarif said tough negotiations were still under way over what role Iran migh=
t =

play in Iraq and what the reward might be for its cooperation. [IMRA: Iran =

already politically active in Iraq.]

"It is still not clear what we have to do in Iraq and what they have to do =

in return," the Mehr news agency quoted the Iranian foreign minister as =

saying.

"And that's exactly the difficult part."

Iranian and U.S. officials discussed the jihadists' lightning offensive in =

Iraq in June on the sidelines of nuclear talks with the major powers but =

both sides ruled out joint military action at the time.

Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic relations since the aftermath =

of the Islamic Revolution of 1979, although they have had contacts over =

Afghanistan as well as Iraq.

Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA =

________________________________________
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