UN secretary general praises Qatar stances

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has praised Qatar’s support for the Palestinian Authority and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which suffer from financial hardship. Ki-moon also hailed the role played by the State of Qatar to facilitate the opening of an office for the Taliban in Doha, stressing the importance of national reconciliation in Afghanistan, and expressed his belief that opening an office for the Taliban in Doha would make progress in the national dialogue in Afghanistan. This came during a luncheon banquet hosted by the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations HE Sheikh Mishaal bin Hamad Al Thani, who heads of the Arab Group for the month, in honor of the Secretary-General of the United Nations during a meeting with ambassadors of the Group of Arab States to the United Nations. The Secretary-General meanwhile praised the leading role played by the State of Qatar to strengthen the role of women and youth, pointing to last September’s initiative related to granting equal opportunities for all children in the field of education. The UN Secretary-General also commended the role played by the State of Qatar for the success of the climate summit late last year, and its efforts to support reaching agreement on climate change by 2015.