Full article in JPG format: page 48/49 & page 50/51
In April 2011, Syrian state media reported that Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, had sent a letter to Damascus pledging his support against "the conspiracy targeting its security and stability". Just one year on, and the same government mouthpiece now accuses Qatar of masterminding that conspiracy. Such is the nature of international diplomacy.
Qatar's new perspective of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad could not be clearer – Sheikh Hamad closed the Qatari embassy in Damascus last July, and by February 2012 was openly calling for the arming of Syrian rebels. What is less apparent, though, is how this hawkish approach fits in with Qatar's self-styled reputation for being a regional peacemaker...
