The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, arrived in London amidst a campaign led by British political movements and human rights groups that decry Doha’s support for terrorism. The leader of the British Independence Party, Nigel Farage, deplored the visit, describing Qatar as the biggest supporter of Iran and terrorist organizations. The Qatari Emir will meet on Tuesday with British Prime Minister Theresa May, with whom he will hold official talks, according to Qatar News Agency (QNA). Many human rights organizations have sent a letter to the British premier demanding that the British government discuss with Al Thani many issues including support for terrorist organizations, the revoking of nationality and expulsion of many people and Arab tribes and the torture against activists. The Arab Organization for Human Rights in Britain, the African Organization for the Culture of Human Rights and the Gulf League for Rights and Freedoms sent a message Sunday morning to the British Foreign Office urging officials to focus on the issue of human rights in Qatar, lack of political participation of Qatari citizens and the support of terrorism in the region. According to the head of the Geneva office of the Arab Organization for Human Rights, Massoud Issa, the letter stressed that many Qatari citizens and foreign workers were aggressed by the Qatari authorities, but human rights violators were not held accountable, adding that Britain has a deep history of supporting freedoms and human rights in the world and noting that it was the duty of international and local organizations to urge the British Foreign Office to focus on this important issue. Meanwhile, Russia and Qatar have been in discussions about a controversial sale of S-400 missile systems to Doha, TASS news agency cited the Russian envoy to Qatar, Nurmakhmad Kholov, as saying on Saturday. Reuters said that Kholov has also confirmed media reports that Qatar and Russia had signed a deal on supplying Qatar with small arms, such as Kalashnikov assault rifles, and anti-tank weapons.
مشاركة :