Dubai: The organisers of the Qatar, Global Security & Stability Conference, taking place in London on Thursday, have announced the programme for the conference.
Figuring prominently on the agenda are: 1) Qatar’s sponsorship of proscribed terror groups with the aim of boosting its influence in the region 2) Qatar’s human rights abuses 3) the absence of democracy in Qatar and 4) Qatar’s usage of Al Jazeera and other soft power tools to promote its goals.
Everything you need to know about Qatar Crisis
Organisers said that the conference, the first of its type, would bring together hundreds of world-renowned political figures, policy makers, academics, commentators to discuss democracy, human rights, press freedom and counter-terrorism in Qatar.
The conference is organised by Qatari businessman and opposition leader Khalid Al Hail, along with a number of exiled Qataris, who are seeking a resolution to the regional crisis and a more stable future for Qatar.
The organisers said on their website that the conference programme had been assembled in great secrecy “because of concerns about the reaction of the Qatari regime.”
The names of the speakers, who include leading Western and Middle Eastern politicians, World Affairs commentators and experts on terrorism and the media, will be released a few hours before the start of the event.
“The aim of this conference is to highlight the true facts about Qatar that are not being voiced because of the power wielded by the current regime in Qatar,” said Al Hail, spokesman for the Qatari opposition, was quoted as saying.
Five panels:
Qatar: Political Islam and terrorist support
Addressing the contradictory stand that Qatar has taken in opposition to other Gulf states in its support of Political Islam and terrorist groups.
Qatar and Iran’s Foreign Policy: A Source for Regional Instability
Focussing on how Qatar and Iran’s foreign policy has contributed to the general instability and insecurity that now characterises the regions of the Middle East and North Africa. It will look at the extent to which Qatar and Iran, in pursuit of their own self-interest, have had a detrimental effect on stability in the region.
A forbidden debate: Qatar’s aspirations for global prestige, democracy and human rights
The panel will look at Qatar’s abuses of human rights in the context of the 2022 Football World Cup as well as examining its breaking of international human rights laws.
Al Jazeera: Free Press vs. Voice of terror?
In the early days of Al Jazeera it was considered a beacon of free press and a challenge to authoritarian Middle East regimes. Recent coverage shows a more biased coverage synergetic to Qatar’s foreign policy. Using a number of exclusive sources, this panel will examine the spectrum of thought about Al Jazeera.
A Vicious Circle: Economy, Geopolitics and Global Energy Security
Addressing some of the chief characteristics of Qatari foreign policy including its diplomatic ambivalence, its quest for security and subsequently regional hegemony and the manner in which Doha has used its economic largesse and natural gas reservoirs to carve itself a larger role in the region, often to the detriment of its neighbours and allies.
