Qatar’s prime minister says he has seen renewed momentum in efforts to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza after the US presidential election, aiming to end the conflict before the incoming Trump administration takes office.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the chief negotiator of the cease-fire talks, said that the differences between the two sides were not significant at the international conference in Doha.
Qatar, which has been playing the role of mediator in the 14-month-old conflict, stopped its efforts last month due to frustration at the lack of progress. However, Sheikh Mohammed indicated that his government had recently re-engaged in the process after recognizing renewed willingness from both sides to reach an agreement.
He told the Doha Forum on Saturday, ‘After the election, we have felt that the momentum has returned.
He noted that he has been in contact with both the outgoing Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration and found that, despite some differences in approach, both are committed to the same goal of ending the war.
“We had a lot of encouragement from the incoming administration to achieve a deal even before the president came into office,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
Declining to discuss details – saying he wanted to “protect the process” – he hoped for a resolution “as soon as possible”.
“If you look at the gaps and the disagreements, they are not really anything concrete that affects the deal,” he added.
(With input from The Associated Press)