Former Qatari FM frowns on Trump Mideast ‘deal of the century’

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 29, (KUNA): A US-proposed Middle East peace plan billed as the “deal of the century” is a no-win situation for Arabs, a former Qatari foreign minister said on Tuesday, suggesting a more feasible Arab initiative to end the decades-long conflict.

The Arab peace initiative ensures that Palestinians are not deprived of their inalienable rights, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani said on the sidelines of the International Conference of the Council for Arab and International Relations. He questioned the general motive behind the US plan, saying he does not “oppose” relations with Israel so long as it leads to peace in the Middle East.

He backed a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict, which envisages an “independent state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel.” On the Council for Arab and International Relations, which kicked off its meeting earlier on Tuesday with prominent Arab political figures attending, he said it delves into issues concerning the wider Arab region, chief among them the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. US President Donald Trump has pledged to pursue a “deal of the century” between Israel and the Palestinians.