Qatari FM calls developments in Idlib ‘worrisome’

By Askin Kiyagan

VIENNA

The Qatari foreign minister on Wednesday said the latest developments in Syria were “worrisome” amid a growing military offensive in northwestern Syria's Idlib province.

“We want to prevent a disaster from occurring,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told reporters following a meeting with his Austrian counterpart in Vienna.

“The way to subdue these [terrorist] organizations [in Idlib] lies in cooperation with regional allies such as Turkey,” he said.

Emphasizing his worry of how the Assad regime would attempt to massacre its own people, Al Thani said the world was not doing enough to prevent this from happening.

“The lives of civilians must be protected,” he added.

The Syrian regime recently announced plans to launch a major military offensive in Idlib, which remains under the control of various armed opposition groups.

The UN warned last week an offensive on Idlib would likely lead to the “worst humanitarian catastrophe of the 21st century.”