Qatari FM denies reports on Meshaal departure from Doha

Qatari Foreign Minister Dr. Khaled Al Attiyah on Monday denied that Head of the Politburo of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) Khaled Meshaal has left Doha at a Qatari request.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Venezuelan counterpart Delcy Rodriguez at the end of President Nicolas Maduro's visit to Doha, Dr. Al Attiyah reaffirmed Qatar's support to the Palestinian cause as a top priority in Qatar's foreign policy, according to QNA news agency.
"Reports on the departure of Meshaal from Qatar are just a groundless rumor that aims to make Doha abandon its positions towards the Palestinian cause and the brotherly people of Palestine.
"Mashaal is a dear guest of Qatar; he is living in his country and among his relatives," the Qatari minister affirmed.
For Qatar, the Palestinian cause is the last case of occupation in the world, Dr. Al Attiyah pointed out, adding that all these rumors are intended to pressure Qatar to give up its supportive position on this issue, which is "impossible because the Palestinian issue is at the heart of Qatar's foreign policy principles." Asked about the developments of the Qatari-Egyptian relations, the foreign minister stressed that "there is no rift between the State of Qatar and Egypt," according to the report "There are some differences in viewpoints on certain issues," he said, praising Saudi Arabia's role in achieving rapprochement between the two parties and the management of dialogue in order to bring viewpoints closer.
"The wellbeing of Egypt is part of the wellbeing of the rest of the Arab world. This is a firm position for the State of Qatar," Dr. Al Attiyah went on.
Regarding the Qatari-Venezuelan ties, he voiced hope that President Maduro's visit will give momentum to these friendly ties and boost cooperation between the two countries.
"The exchange of visits and meetings helps push cooperation to the desired level," Dr. Al Attiyah said.
He added that the talks between Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and President Maduro reviewed the bilateral relations and highlighted Venezuela's important status in South America.
Qatari Amir congratulated Venezuela on winning a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council, Dr. Al-Attiyah said, praising the outcome of President Maduro's visit.
"The talks touched on Venezuela's distinguished stance regarding Arab issues, particularly the Palestinian cause.
"The two countries showed interest in enhancing cooperation in different areas, including investment, oil and gas, and agriculture," he revealed Commenting on the recent violent events in France, Dr. Al Attiyah said everyone should be part of the fight against terrorism and renunciation of violence, but "we in Qatar always reaffirm that handling the phenomena of terrorism requires examining its roots.
"We can't counter terrorism unless we learn its root causes so that we can constantly and successfully handle it," he added.
For her part, Rodriguez expressed gratitude and appreciation for Qatar's hospitality offered to the Venezuelan delegation during the visit.
She said that both sides held fruitful meetings on different aspects of cooperation, and agreed to enhance ties and strengthen diplomatic representation of Venezuela in Qatar.
Asked about Venezuela's participation in the US-conceived conference on terrorism, Rodriguez said: "We are ready to cooperate with any country in order to uproot terrorism and fight against this scourge." She added that her country "has followed with great sadness the recent terrorist acts in France," reiterating condemnation of all acts of violence and terrorism anywhere in the world.