His Highness (HH) the Amir Receives Written Message from South Africa's President
The message was received by HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi during a meeting on Sunday with HE Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to Qatar Ghulam Hoosein Asmal.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The State of Qatar.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The National
30 minutes ago
- The National
UN nuclear watchdog to visit Iran in next two weeks
The UN nuclear watchdog will visit Iran within the next two weeks, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. It will be the first such visit since Tehran passed a parliamentary bill restricting co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA has said it must be allowed to resume inspections after Israeli and US air strikes last month that aimed to destroy Iran's nuclear programme and deny it the capacity to build a nuclear weapon. Iran has always denied seeking nuclear weapons and says its programme is strictly peaceful. Iran has blamed the IAEA for providing Israel with the pretext to start a war after a report accusing Tehran of hiding enriched uranium. After the 12-day war ended, a bill passed in Iran's parliament restricting Tehran's co-operation with the watchdog. The bill, which has now become law, stipulates that any future inspection of Iran's nuclear sites by the IAEA needs approval by Tehran's Supreme National Security Council. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said a manual regarding future co-operation with the agency will be presented during the visit. The UN nuclear watchdog is particularly concerned about the whereabouts of Iran's stocks of some 400kg of highly enriched uranium. On Sunday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the CBS News show Face The Nation that Western governments were seeking a 'comprehensive agreement' with Iran, in part to avert the 'risk' that it could covertly pursue a nuclear weapon. 'Regarding matters related to our defence capabilities, there will absolutely be no discussion,' Mr Baghaei said in response during his weekly press briefing. Mr Barrot's comments came after a meeting on Friday between Iranian diplomats and counterparts from France, Germany and Britain – the first nuclear talks since the war with Israel. The European countries, also known as the E3, have in recent weeks threatened to trigger a " snapback mechanism" which would reinstate UN sanctions on Iran. Tehran has warned it might withdraw from the global nuclear non-proliferation treaty if sanctions were reimposed. 'One cannot expect a country to remain in the treaty while being deprived of its stated rights, particularly the peaceful use of nuclear energy,' Mr Baghaei said. Israel's attacks on Iran last month hit vital nuclear and military sites but also residential areas, and killed top commanders, nuclear scientists and hundreds of others. The US briefly joined the war, striking nuclear sites. The war derailed nuclear negotiations that were under way between Washington and Tehran since April 12. In an interview with Iran's state TV aired on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the decision to engage diplomatically towards a ceasefire was 'what prevented the war from spiralling into a wider regional catastrophe'. Mr Araghchi said he had survived an assassination attempt during the war. A bomb had been placed outside his house but security forces 'took control of it', he said. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian previously said he was lightly injured during an Israeli attack.


The National
30 minutes ago
- The National
Hamas demands mediators guarantee positive result for Gaza ceasefire talks to continue
Hamas wants to continue with ceasefire negotiations only if mediators can guarantee a positive outcome, a senior official said on Monday. Mahmoud Taha, a Hamas official in Beirut, was speaking after sources told The National remote discussions had intensified in recent days between Egyptian and Qatari mediators on one side, and US and Israeli officials on the other. 'We have no objection to continuing negotiations if there are guarantees from the mediators and the international community to ensure results,' Mr Taha said. 'The core issue is the cessation of aggression, which [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu refuses to address in the negotiations." Hamas has already agreed unconditionally to a 60-day truce and signalled it was open to suggestions to lay down its arms and for its leaders to leave Gaza and live in exile with their families. However, a Hamas request for "small amendments" to the deal provoked an angry response from the US and Israel. The group has since informed mediators it had dropped its request, a source said. Mr Netanyahu said Israel and the US were "considering alternative options" to bring home the remaining 49 hostages and end Hamas's rule in Gaza. The two allies withdrew their negotiators from Qatar on Friday, where the latest round of Gaza talks started on July 6. US President Donald Trump suggested Mr Netanyahu should intensify military action against Hamas to eliminate the group. 'Hamas didn't really want to make a deal, I think they want to die,' Mr Trump said. It is time to 'finish the job' and 'get rid' of Hamas, he added. Mr Taha said: 'Trump's remarks about changing his strategy in Gaza and threatening Hamas are irresponsible and do not intimidate the movement. If Israel truly had more cards to play, they wouldn't be negotiating with Hamas.' He said 'all of these statements are aimed at pressuring Hamas into making concessions in the talks," calling on the US to "recalibrate" its policy. The back-and-forth between Mr Trump and Hamas marks a shift from earlier this month, when Hamas said Gaza ceasefire talks with Israel were progressing due to Mr Trump's involvement in the process. Change in strategy Israel's announcement of a daily pause in military operations in three parts of Gaza and the opening of new aid corridors was, sources said, effectively the implementation of the humanitarian segment of the latest proposals to pause the Gaza war. The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters stormed southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 250 hostages back to Gaza. Israel's military response has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians and wounded more than twice that number, Gaza health officials say. It has also reduced much of the enclave to ruins and displaced nearly all of the 2.3 million population. Mr Trump said Israel would have to make a decision on its next steps in Gaza. He underscored the importance of securing the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, saying the group had suddenly 'hardened' its stance on the issue. 'They don't want to give them back and so Israel is going to have to make a decision,' he said at the start of a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his golf property in Turnberry, south-west Scotland. "I know what I'd do but I don't think it's appropriate that I say it. But Israel is going to have to make a decision," he said, while also claiming – without evidence – that Hamas was stealing food coming into Gaza and selling it. Israel has also accused Hamas of looting aid but a US government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft. US Senator Lindsey Graham has said Israel is preparing to intensify its military campaign in Gaza, comparing the strategy to allied operations on Tokyo and Berlin at the end of the Second World War. 'What we're talking about today is a change in strategy. I think President Trump has come to believe, and I've certainly come to believe, there's no way you're going to negotiate an end to this war with Hamas,' Mr Graham told NBC. 'Hamas is a terrorist organisation that is chartered to destroy the State of Israel. They're religious Nazis. They hold Israeli hostages.' Mr Graham, from South Carolina, said Israel has concluded that dismantling Hamas is the only way to ensure its security.

Zawya
2 hours ago
- Zawya
South Africa: Thabo Mofutsane District Residents Suggest Vetting of Marriages to Foreign Nationals in Line with Global Best Practices
The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs was urged by Thabo Mofutsanyana District residents yesterday at Bethlehem where it conducted public hearings on Marriage Bill, to ensure that the Bill has strong vetting procedures to protect the population register against fraudulent marriages, enabling access to foreign nationals through marriage. The committee successfully hosted three public hearings in the Free State where the Bill enjoyed support of the majority of the people who participated in the public hearings. Although the majority supported the Bill, they also raised an alarm at the increasing rate of marriages of convenience. They argued that the trend exposes the population register to fraudulent entry, and also places participants in difficulty, especially in cases where they want to dissolve the marriage. The committee acknowledged the persistence of the challenge and committed to engaging the department to do a full-scale analysis of these marriages to ensure that officials who participate in this fraudulent process are investigated. Also, some participants urged the committee to ensure that provisions regulating marriages to foreign nations are in line with international standards by adopting effective practices elsewhere in the world. They told the committee that the application of international best practices and constant monitoring of these marriages will be an effective deterrent to the rise of convenience marriages. Some participants argued for the insertion of a section in the Bill that codifies sanctions and penalties to explicitly include harsher penalties for any South African who participates in such marriages. Meanwhile, there was broad agreement on the intention of the Bill to increase the age of consent for parties who intend to get married from the current 16 to 18, but many argued that the provision does not go far enough. Participants argued that 18 years remains too young, and that the committee consider increasing it to 21 years to ensure that participants are mature enough before entering into marriage. Marriage officers welcomed the expansion of those who can be designated as marriage officers, but cautioned the department to ensure that they are trained. They highlighted their concern that while the Bill protects them from solemnising marriages that go against their belief system, they also expressed a fear of reprisal if they refused to solemnise those marriages. Also, they called for the Bill to be explicit on the process to be followed when there is an objection to a marriage. On the same sex marriage, like in other public hearings that took place at other parts of the country, participants at Bethlehem differed on the issue of same sex marriages. Representatives from faith-based organisations underscored that same sex marriages go against their religious beliefs and teachings. Those who support same sex marriages, including representatives from traditional leadership organisations, argued that the South African Constitution was clear on the prohibition of discrimination against sexual orientation and that people's rights ought to be protected. At the end of the hearings, the Chairperson of the committee, Mr Mosa Chabane, thanked the participants and commended them for their inputs, which he described as invaluable. He said all their inputs will be taken into consideration when the committee deliberates on the Bill at Parliament. The committee will, from Monday, 4 August, conduct public hearings on the Bill in the Northern Cape. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.