Doha reiterates refusal to normalize ties with Damascus

By Ahmed Yusuf

DOHA

Qatar on Monday reiterated its refusal to normalize diplomatic relations with the Syrian regime.

"Qatar does not see the necessity of reopening its embassy in Damascus," Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said at a joint press conference in Doha with African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki.

"We have not seen any positive signs that would warrant diplomatic normalization," he added.

"The Syrian people remain subject to aggression and displacement at the hands of the [Assad] regime," Al Thani said.

He added: "To normalize with the regime at this stage would be to normalize with those implicated in war crimes.”

Doha’s top diplomat went on to assert that Qatar’s position on Syria remained based on support for a solution "mandated by the Syrian people”.