Latest news with #JassimYacoubAlHammadi
Qatar Tribune
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Qatar calls for negotiations to reach a solution to Iranian nuke programme
QNA Vienna The State of Qatar has called for calm, de-escalation, maximum restraint, and continued negotiations to reach a diplomatic solution to the problems related to Iran's nuclear programme. The State of Qatar noted that facts have proven that there is no alternative to dialogue and diplomacy to ensure peace and stability and spare the region and the world further disasters. This came in a speech delivered by HE Jassim Yacoub Al Hammadi, Ambassador of the State of Qatar and its Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organizations in Vienna, at the emergency meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held in Vienna. He called on the IAEA Director General to engage with the Iranian side to facilitate technical discussions and a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issues related to Iran. He also reiterated the State of Qatar's strong condemnation and denunciation of the Israeli attack on the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and its call on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibility to urgently halt these violations. He affirmed the State of Qatar's rejection of the use of force outside the United Nations Charter, pointing out that Israel's claim that its attack on Iran is a preemptive act in self-defense has no legal basis, and that respect for the sovereignty of states and the prohibition of the use of force without authorization from the Security Council or in self-defense under Article (51) of the Charter are two binding rules in the United Nations Charter and international law. He continued: 'The international community, and the Security Council, in accordance with its mandate, must adhere to them strongly and prevent their violation, because that creates chaos in international relations and returns us to the law of the jungle.' He pointed out that an armed attack on nuclear facilities subject to the Agency's safeguards system is a reprehensible act that could result in widespread harm to people and the environment and have serious repercussions for nuclear safety and security. Al Hammadi commended the statement made by the Director General of the Agency, Mr Rafael Grossi, in his address to the Security Council session on June 13, and his confirmation of the resolutions of the Agency's General Conference that: 'Any armed attack or threat against nuclear facilities dedicated to peaceful purposes is a violation of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law, and the Statute of the Agency,' and that 'armed attacks on nuclear facilities could lead to the release of radiation with serious consequences within and beyond the borders of the targeted State.'
Arab News
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Why attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities have placed Israel's own secret arsenal in the spotlight
LONDON: To this day, Israel maintains a policy of deliberate ambiguity in regard to its nuclear capabilities, but it is a fact accepted by experts worldwide that Israel has had the bomb since just before the Six Day War in 1967. And not just one bomb. Recent estimates by the independent Stockholm International Peace Institute, which has kept tabs on the world's nuclear weapons and the states that possess them since 1966, suggest Israel has at least 90 nuclear warheads. SIPRI believes that these warheads are capable of being delivered anywhere within a maximum radius of 4,500 km by its F-15, F-161, and F-35I 'Adir' aircraft, its 50 land-based Jericho II and III missiles, and by about 20 Popeye Turbo cruise missiles, launched from submarines. While Iran is a signatory to the international nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Israel is not, which begs the question: while Israel is wreaking havoc in Iran, with the declared aim of crippling a nuclear development program, which the International Atomic Energy Authority says is about energy, not weaponry, why is the international community not questioning Israel's? In March, during a meeting of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Jassim Yacoub Al-Hammadi, Qatar's ambassador to Austria, announced that Qatar was calling for 'intensified international efforts' to bring all Israeli nuclear facilities 'under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency and for Israel to join the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a non-nuclear state.' Israel refuses to sign up to the NPT or cooperate with the IAEA. Furthermore, it is a little remembered fact that since 1981 Israel has been in breach of UN Resolution 487. This was prompted by an attack on a nuclear research facility in Iraq by Israel on June 7, 1981, which was condemned by the UN Security Council as a 'clear violation of the Charter of the UN and the norms of international conduct.' Iraq, as the Security Council pointed out, had been a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty since it came into force in 1970. Like all states, especially those developing, Iraq had the 'inalienable sovereign right … to establish programmes of technological and nuclear development to develop their economy and industry for peaceful purposes in accordance with their present and future needs and consistent with the internationally accepted objectives of preventing nuclear-weapons proliferation.' The resolution, which remains in force, called on Israel 'urgently to place its nuclear facilities under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency.' Israel has never complied with Resolution 487. That ambiguity extends to Israel's only officially stated position on nuclear weapons, which it has repeated since the 1960s, that it 'won't be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East.' Israeli policymakers, SIPRI says, 'have previously interpreted 'introduce nuclear weapons' as publicly declaring, testing or actually using the nuclear capability, which Israel says it has not yet done.' In November 2023, about a month after the Hamas-led attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza, Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, a member of the ultra-nationalist Jewish Power party, said Israel should drop 'some kind of atomic bomb' on Gaza, 'to kill everyone.' Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly suspended Eliyahu from the cabinet. Eliyahu's statements 'were not based in reality,' Netanyahu said, while Eliyah himself took to X to say that it was 'clear to all sensible people' that his statement was 'metaphorical.' Arsen Ostrovsky, an international human rights lawyer who on X describes himself as a 'proud Zionist,' replied: 'It is clear to all sensible people that you are a stupid idiot. Even if metaphorical, it was inexcusable. You need to know when to keep your mouth shut.' Israel has no nuclear electricity generating plants, but it does have what experts agree is a vast nuclear facility. The Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center — built in the late 1950s and early 1960s, allegedly with French assistance, and renamed for the former Israeli prime minister following his death in 2016 — is a heavily guarded complex in the Negev Desert barely 70 km from the border with Egypt. Iran has ballistic missiles that are capable of reaching the Negev Nuclear Research Center, approximately 1,500 km from Tehran. Why is Tehran hitting Israeli cities in retaliation to Israel's attempt to destroy Iran's nuclear industry, when it could attack Israel's nuclear facility? The answer, most likely, comes down to the 'Samson Option.' The Samson Option is a protocol for mutual destruction, the existence of which Israel has never admitted, but has never denied. As Arab News reported in March, Israel is believed to have twice come close to using its nuclear weaponry. In 2017, a claim emerged that on the eve of the Arab-Israeli war in 1967 Israel had been on the cusp of unleashing a 'demonstration' nuclear blast designed to intimidate its enemies. The plan was revealed in interviews with retired general Itzhak Yaakov, conducted by Avner Cohen, an Israeli-American historian and leading scholar of Israel's nuclear history, and published only after Yaakov's death. In 2003, Cohen revealed that during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when it again appeared that Israeli forces were about to be overrun, then Prime Minister Golda Meir had authorized the use of nuclear bombs and missiles as a last-stand defense. This doomsday plan, codenamed Samson, was named for the Israelite strongman who, captured by the Philistines, pulled down the pillars of their temple, destroying himself along with his enemies. Mordecha Vanunu, an Israeli nuclear technician and peace activist, revealed Israel's nuclear secrets back in 1986. Ensnared in the UK by a female Israeli agent, Mordechai was lured to Rome, where he was kidnapped by Mossad agents and taken back to Israel on an Israeli navy ship. Vanunu, charged with treason, was sentenced to 18 years in prison, much of which he spent in solitary confinement. Released in April 2004, he remains under a series of strictly enforced restrictions, which prevent him from leaving Israel or even speaking to any foreigner. 'We all believe that Israel has a nuclear capability,' Ahron Bregman, a senior teaching fellow in the Department of War Studies at King's College London's Institute of Middle East Studies, told Arab News in March. 'The fact that Israel found it necessary to catch Vanunu and put him in jail, and continues to impose strict limitations on him, just proves that it has probably got it.' The emergence of another Vanunu, especially in the current climate, is highly unlikely. 'Israelis are scared,' said Bregman, who served in the Israeli army for six years in the 1980s. 'Even if you believe it is a good idea to restrict Israel's behavior and make sure it doesn't do anything stupid, you are scared to act because you know they will abduct you and put you in jail. 'Israel is very tough on those who reveal its secrets.'
Qatar Tribune
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Qatar calls for collective actionto combat human trafficking
QNA Vienna The State of Qatar has emphasized that combating cross-border human trafficking requires a collective response based on partnership and coordination, with a well-distributed division of roles and responsibilities to ensure tangible and sustainable results on the ground. This came in a statement delivered by Qatar's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and international organizations in Vienna, HE Jassim Yacoub Al Hammadi, during the high-level Gulf event held on the sidelines of the 34th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Vienna, titled 'Enhancing cooperation between source and destination countries in preventing human trafficking'. In his remarks, he said that human trafficking is a crime that violates human dignity and exacerbates developmental, economic, and social challenges. 'This is not just a national issue but a global one, with severe consequences, particularly in less-developed countries or those suffering from humanitarian crises, describing it as a gross violation of human rights as enshrined in religious teachings and international conventions.' He added that from this perspective, Qatar has made combating this crime a national priority, in line with its National Vision 2030, which emphasizes social justice and the protection of all individuals from all forms of exploitation. The envoy explained that Qatar has translated this commitment into institutional and legislative actions, most notably the establishment of the National Committee For Counter Trafficking. This committee serves as the national coordinator for monitoring and preventing human trafficking in collaboration with relevant state authorities. It is also responsible for implementing a comprehensive national strategy, based on four main pillars: prevention, protection, prosecution, and international partnership. He noted that the committee recently launched its National Plan (2024–2026), which aims to unify national efforts across government institutions and civil society organizations to combat all forms and types of human trafficking. This initiative is rooted in Qatar's commitment to Islamic law, the constitution, and laws that prohibit any form of degradation of human dignity and emphasize respect for human rights. Al Hamadi also highlighted the committee's dedication to developing an effective system for protecting victims, including identifying and providing necessary support, establishing specialized shelters, training relevant personnel, and launching multilingual awareness campaigns targeting at-risk groups. He continued that believing that the fight against human trafficking can only succeed through cooperation between both source and destination countries, Qatar has placed special emphasis on building partnerships based on mutual respect, knowledge exchange, and the enhancement of best practices - particularly in cooperation with United Nations agencies and relevant entities. He reaffirmed that addressing this crime is inseparable from the sustainable development agenda, particularly Goal 8.7, which calls for the eradication of forced labor, human trafficking, and child labor in all its forms. He stressed that there can be no sustainable development without the protection of human rights, and no justice without safeguarding the most vulnerable from exploitation. He renewed Qatar's commitment to continue working with international partners to develop an effective collaborative approach that contributes to promoting justice, protecting human dignity, and building a safer, fairer world.
Qatar Tribune
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Qatar affirms combating cross-border human trafficking requires collective response built on partnership, coordination
VIENNA: The State of Qatar has emphasized that combating cross-border human trafficking requires a collective response based on partnership and coordination, with a well-distributed division of roles and responsibilities to ensure tangible and sustainable results on the ground. This came in a statement delivered by Qatar's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and international organizations in Vienna HE Jassim Yacoub Al Hammadi, during the high-level Gulf side event held on the sidelines of the 34th session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Vienna, titled 'Enhancing cooperation between source and destination countries in preventing human trafficking'. In his remarks, the ambassador stated that human trafficking is a crime that violates human dignity and exacerbates developmental, economic, and social challenges. He highlighted that it is not just a national issue but a global one, with severe consequences, particularly in less-developed countries or those suffering from humanitarian crises, describing it as a gross violation of human rights as enshrined in religious teachings and international conventions. He added that from this perspective, Qatar has made combating this crime a national priority, in line with its National Vision 2030, which emphasizes social justice and the protection of all individuals from all forms of exploitation. He explained that Qatar has translated this commitment into institutional and legislative actions, most notably the establishment of the National Committee For Counter Trafficking. This committee serves as the national coordinator for monitoring and preventing human trafficking in collaboration with relevant state authorities. It is also responsible for implementing a comprehensive national strategy, based on four main pillars: prevention, protection, prosecution, and international partnership. He noted that the committee recently launched its National Plan (2024–2026), which aims to unify national efforts across government institutions and civil society organizations to combat all forms and types of human trafficking. This initiative is rooted in Qatar's commitment to Islamic law, the constitution, and laws that prohibit any form of degradation of human dignity and emphasize respect for human rights. Al Hamadi also highlighted the committee's dedication to developing an effective system for protecting victims, including identifying and providing necessary support, establishing specialized shelters, training relevant personnel, and launching multilingual awareness campaigns targeting at-risk groups. He continued that believing that the fight against human trafficking can only succeed through cooperation between both source and destination countries, Qatar has placed special emphasis on building partnerships based on mutual respect, knowledge exchange, and the enhancement of best practices - particularly in cooperation with United Nations agencies and relevant entities. He reaffirmed that addressing this crime is inseparable from the sustainable development agenda, particularly Goal 8.7, which calls for the eradication of forced labor, human trafficking, and child labor in all its forms. He stressed that there can be no sustainable development without the protection of human rights, and no justice without safeguarding the most vulnerable from exploitation. He renewed Qatar's commitment to continue working with international partners to develop an effective collaborative approach that contributes to promoting justice, protecting human dignity, and building a safer, fairer world.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Qatar calls for Israel to come under international nuclear weapons treaty
March 9 (UPI) -- Qatari officials have called on international leaders to bring Israel's nuclear facilities under the watch of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and for Israel to join the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty as a non-nuclear state. Qatar's Jassim Yacoub Al Hammadi, Qatar's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and International Organizations, made the announcement to the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna Saturday. "His Excellency pointed out that all Middle Eastern countries, except Israel, are parties to the NPT and have effective safeguard agreements with the Agency," a statement from the ministry said. He said Israel continues its aggressive policies toward Palestinians displaced by the ongoing war, including by intensifying military operations in Gaza, blocking humanitarian aid to refugees and maintaining restrictions on United Nations relief efforts in the region. The latest spasm of violence between the two parties erupted after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people. The resulting violence that has waged for more than 500 days has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, the majority of which have been Palestinians, including children. In addition to the call to bring Israel under the non nuclear treaty, Qatar also called on international monitors to assure that Israel respects and protects the property of the UN and other international organizations, including schools, medical facilities, transportation infrastructure, and water resources, as related personnel. Israel has not confirmed that it possesses nuclear weapons, but 2024 data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute show that the country most likely has at least 90 warheads in its arsenal.
