Qatar ‘committed to fighting Daesh’

Obama insists during talks with Tamim that Al Assad must be ‘transitioned out’

Qatar is committed to defeating Daesh, its emir assured US President Barack Obama on Tuesday during his first official visit to the White House.

Obama said Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani was committed to fighting religious extremists and supporting the moderate opposition in Syria.

Qatar is part of the USled coalition fighting Daesh, which controls a wide swath of territory in Syria and Iraq.

The two leaders are “deeply concerned” about the situation in Syria and shared ideas on how they can transition Syrian President Bashar Al Assad out of power, Obama told reporters in the Oval Office. “We’ll continue to support the moderate opposition there, and continue to believe that it will not be possible to fully stabilise that country until Mr Assad, who has lost legitimacy in the country, is transitioned out,” Obama said.

“How we get there obviously is a source of extraordinary challenge, and we shared ideas in terms of how that can be accomplished.”

In the past, there has been suspicion money has gone from Qatar to violent extremist groups in the region. Obama “stressed the need for continued cooperation between our officials in countering terrorist financing,” a senior US administration official said.

The unrest in Libya and Yemen was discussed. The emir said Obama told him he was committed to a peace process between the Israeli regime and the Palestinians.