| Clarification: Not the government of Qatar, but a symposium of mostly usual suspects doing the debate thing. Beneath the notice of serious people, except as an indication of the extent of 9-11 fatigue. |
A majority of the participants at Qatar Foundation’s Doha Debates yesterday felt that it is time to negotiate with Al Qaeda. “The motion is resoundingly carried,” declared Tim Sebastian, chair of the Doha Debates as the voting results appeared on the screen. The motion for the day was: This House believes it is time to talk to Al Qaeda.
Speaking for the motion was Terry Waite, a well-known hostage negotiator, who himself was taken captive in 1987 while negotiating for the release of Western hostages in Lebanon. He was joined by Asad Durrani, former head of the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence. Panelists on the other side were Laith Kubba, former spokesman for the Iraqi Prime Minister and Adam Holloway, British MP and member of the House of Commons Defence Committee.
Those who supported the motion argued that it is time to give dialogue a chance since military actions failed to contain Al Qaeda. Terrorism is a symptom of more deep-rooted issues and it manifests itself as an extreme reaction to the mistakes committed by the West in the Islamic world. So it is important to address the root causes rather than treating the symptoms. |