Qatari diplomat Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi has welcomed the peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), saying that it came after several rounds of talks, some of which were held in Doha.
The deal, signed in Washington, DC, on Friday with backing from the United States and Qatar, will see Rwandan soldiers withdraw from the DRC and the two countries set up mechanisms to enhance trade and security cooperation.
“We hope that the sides will adhere to the terms of the agreement to de-escalate and bolster the security and stability of the … region,” al-Khulaifi, who serves as minister of state at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Al Jazeera.
Al-Khulaifi added that the meeting between Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame, hosted by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha in March, was followed by a series of talks, paving the way for Friday’s deal.
“Qatar enjoys excellent relationships with both countries and has earned the trust of both countries as a mediator and international partner trying to resolve these issues,” he said.
“Doha was a platform for these meetings, and we contributed [to reaching the agreement] with the US.”
The Reuters news agency reported earlier this month that Qatar presented a draft peace proposal to Rwanda and the DRC after negotiations in Doha.
On Friday, the US Department of State said the US, Qatar, the African Union and Togo “will continue to engage both parties to ensure implementation of the obligations laid out in the agreement”.
The agreement has sparked hopes of ending the conflict in the DRC, where the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has been advancing in the resource-rich east of the country.
The renewed violence had raised fears of igniting a full-blown conflict, akin to the wars that the DRC endured in the late 1990s, involving several African countries, which killed millions of people.
“Qatar fully believes in dialogue as the cornerstone for resolving conflict through peaceful means,” al-Khulaifi said.
“Qatar believes that mediation is a pillar of its foreign policy. That’s why, hopefully, you will find Qatar always racing to try to resolve issues between countries, even countries that are geographically far from Qatar.”
Qatar has played a key role in securing diplomatic deals in various conflicts across the world over the past years. Most recently, it helped mediate the ceasefire agreement that ended the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.
“What pleases me is that this agreement came days after another agreement which Qatar contributed to with the US – and that’s the ceasefire between Iran and Israel,” al-Khulaifi said. “Qatar will not spare any efforts to engage in more attempts to de-escalate and pursue peaceful means to end these conflicts.”
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