Qatar scraps National Day festivities over Aleppo
Doha : Qatar’s ruler announced yesterday that the Gulf state will call off its National Day celebrations next week out of solidarity with the people of Syria’s war-ravaged Aleppo.
The decision to scrap the celebrations came directly from the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, said a statement carried on state media.
It was taken “in solidarity with our people in the city of Aleppo, who are subjected to the worst kind of repression and torture, displacement and genocide”, said the Qatar News Agency.
Qatar’s national day falls on December 18, to mark the founding of the state in 1878.
The celebrations usually involve a parade in the centre of the capital Doha, dancing and a huge fireworks display.
The final of the 2022 football World Cup to be hosted by Qatar will be played on December 18.
Qatar has provided arms to rebel Sunni groups during Syria’s five-year conflict and houses a Syrian opposition “embassy” in Doha.
Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Tuesday that the war in Syria would not end if the regime recaptured the country’s second city Aleppo.
Nizar al-Haraki, ambassador of the Syrian opposition coalition in Doha, said that the decision to cancel the celebrations was “a dignified humanitarian gesture and a strong and positive message of solidarity”.
He added that he had recently spent two days in Aleppo.
Kuwaitis protest against Russia
Hundreds of Kuwaitis protested outside the Russian embassy yesterday to condemn Moscow’s support for the Syrian regime besieging rebel-held Aleppo.
Carrying banners saying “Stop crimes” and “Save Aleppo,” around 2,000 demonstrators marched on the diplomatic compound housing the embassy in Kuwait City. Speakers called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “criminal” and urged the government to expel Russia’s ambassador.
“Today, the Syrian people are at war with Russia... dead bodies are in the streets of Aleppo,” Islamist lawmaker Jamaan al-Harbash told the crowd.
“We call on Turkey and the Gulf states to expel Russian envoys and sever diplomatic ties with Moscow,” he said.
Speakers also condemned Iran and Shiite militias, accusing them of indiscriminate killings of civilians in Aleppo.
Kuwait’s parliament is set to hold a special debate on Aleppo on December 28, speaker Marzouk al-Ghanem said yesterday.
Kuwait has also called on the Arab League to hold an emergency meeting Monday to discuss Aleppo.
Opposition MPs urged Gulf Cooperation Council nations Tuesday to expel Russian ambassadors over what they called Moscow’s role in “genocide” in Aleppo. Kuwaiti charities and the Kuwait Red Crescent Society have launched fund-raising campaigns for victims of the fighting in Aleppo.
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