QATAR CONDEMNS OCTOBER 18 EXPLOSION IN IRAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L DOHA 000628 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/18/2019 TAGS: PREL PTER QA IR SUBJECT: QATAR CONDEMNS OCTOBER 18 EXPLOSION IN IRAN ¶1. (SBU) Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs distributed October 19 to all diplomatic missions in Doha a diplomatic note expressing "the State of Qatar's...condemnation of the explosion that took place (October 18) in the Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan." ¶2. (SBU) The statement notes that Qatar "consider(s) the incident a terrorist act which ran counter to moral and human values." The message closes with a statement affirming "the State of Qatar's firm stance rejecting terrorism in all its manifestations and forms, regardless of source." ¶3. (C) COMMENT: We note that it is not unusual for the Ministry to send to foreign missions in Doha diplomatic notes citing the GOQ's condemnation of terrorist acts, and the text released on this occasion contains standard GOQ language on terrorism. Further, as in the case of this message, the text of such notes is often provided by an unidentified Ministry official to the Qatar News Agency and issued as a press release. LeBaron