WAR CANNOT END TERRORISM, QATAR’S EMIR TELLS UN HIGH-LEVEL DEBATE

Waging war against terrorism has not succeeded in achieving security, peace or prosperity, Qatar's Emir told the General Assembly today.

“To the contrary, it has spread destruction everywhere, deprived millions of people from their livelihoods, spread fear, and caused the killing and displacing of millions as well as economic and financial crises that shook the stability of the world and undermined the efforts made in dialogue among cultures,” Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani stressed.

The first century of the 21st century, he told the Assembly's annual high-level debate, has been “blindly attacked” by the so-called war on terrorism.

The Emir decried the ascription of terrorism to Islam “because this – in addition to being incorrect – is a historical injustice that is refuted by evidence from recent history.”

Violent acts occurred during the last century in the United States, Europe and Asia, and “nobody said this terrorism was American, European or Asian,” he said.

“Rather, this violence was attributed to its underlying political, economic, social and even ideological causes, without attributing it to a particular religion, country or idea.”

The Qatari leader pointed out that the 'war on terror' is a phenomenon that until the start of the 21st century was foreign to international politics.

“It has plunged into a kind of war with no limits, nor end, nor logic, nor legal or moral conditions,” he said.

The Emir welcomed the current US Government putting an end to using the term 'war on terror,' but noted that he is still looking forward to seeing what he called clearer and bolder initiatives.

“We should ensure that war is not the way to deal with [major challenges],” he emphasized, calling for “in-depth understanding and knowledge” in addressing obstacles.