![Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attends a round table meeting during the joint European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, in Brussels, Belgium on October 16, 2024 [File: Johanna Geron/Reuters]](/Uploads/Images/News/2024/10/Image-2617-20241017091755.webp)
Qatar urges ceasefires in Israel’s wars in Gaza, Lebanon at EU-GCC summit
Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also calls for lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Qatar’s emir has called for ceasefires in Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon and stressed the importance of establishing a Palestinian state at a meeting with European Union leaders in Brussels, Belgium.
The 27-nation EU is seeking to work more closely with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – which brings together Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – in addressing conflicts in both the Middle East and Ukraine.
In opening remarks at the first EU-GCC summit on Wednesday, Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani outlined the need for creating a “sovereign and independent” Palestinian state existing side by side with Israel. He also called for a ceasefire in Israel’s ongoing wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
“The destructive war waged by Israel today on Palestine and Lebanon made war crimes as something normal. That is something that we cannot accept,” Al Thani said.
“We need a settlement for these conflicts. We need to find a solution to the Palestinian cause on the basis of international legitimacy and of the 1967 borders … A ceasefire would be a first step before a serious round of negotiations for a definite solution to the Palestinian cause.”
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China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
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China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
Deliver on promises, developing world tells rich at climate talks
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.