Qatar Backs Any Effort for Recovering Looted Assets: Al-Marri

Doha, September 11 (QNA) - Qatar's Attorney General HE Dr. Ali bin Fetais Al-Marri on Tuesday reiterated Qatar's support for all the views and proposals that contribute to recovering assets from toppled Arab Spring regimes, so as to help Arab Spring countries overcome their economic woes. In a joint press conference with Michael Froman, deputy assistant to the president of the United States, Al-Marri said that the issue of recovering looted money is concerning for many countries, and comes at an important historical phase for the Arab world, especially during the Arab uprisings, which created thorny economic issues. The amount of looted money out of Arab Spring countries is a significant issue that requires relentless efforts from these countries to restore this smuggled money, so as to bring real economic development and help people improve their living standards. He stressed that there will be constant work with all world countries, including the G8, which is headed by the United States, and other groups to ensure the success of efforts to recover all the money and return it to its owners. Al-Marri underlined the importance of prosecuting those involved in the matter, pointing out that this issue exceeded the Arab world in terms of responsibility and has become a global responsibility, in the sense that all countries of the world have responsibilities and obligations of moral, ethical and legal approaches towards the issue. The prosecution of people embroiled in the smuggling of money is not easy task and will take time, HE the Attorney General said, adding that it requires the formation of an integrated team working on the issue. On the volume of smuggled assets, Al-Marri pointed to U.S. President Barack Obama's speech on Tuesday where he mentioned billions of dollars, but the Qatari official insisted the exact amount remains unknown. For his part, Froman expressed his deep gratitude for the State of Qatar, HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and HE Dr. Ali bin Fetais al-Marri for hosting the first-ever meeting of the Arab Forum on Asset Recovery. Froman underlined the significance of the event that brings together five transition countries from the Middle East, the G8, the UN, the World Bank and the Interpol, among other entities, to focus on such an "important initiative." "this is not just an economic issue; it is also a political issue, legal issue and moral issue. And that is why the United States stands so firmly behind the efforts to create a platform for cooperation" going forward to support this significant initiative, Froman said as he addressed the press conference. He reiterated the United States and President Obama's commitment to working within the framework of G8 to address the aspiration of peoples of the region to get their assets back. "That is why we are here and very grateful to the HE Dr. Ali bin Fetais al-Marri for sharing this event and launching this effort." Asked about the amount of stashed away assets, Froman acknowledged there is a sense there are potentially significant assets to be recovered but "it is difficult to get our hands on the exact numbers and that underscores the importance of the platform of cooperation we are launching here." He also maintained that recovering looted assets is long-term process but added that working together with countries like the G8 and regional partners is key. "Training prosecutors and investigators, establishing mechanisms for sharing information and evidence, and be able to trace it is very important to be able to succeed," said the U.S. official. "We understand expectations are high. People around the region are eager to see the assets return but this is a very complicated and complex process," he added. The G8 countries, who convened in Camp David in May, published a guide in English and Arabic of what the countries going through transition need to do and where to begin the process of accessing assets. "This is the first step towards beginning that process," Froman said of the guide. Asked about the UK's alleged slow handling of freezing assets of toppled Egyptian regime, Froman said that is precisely what the initiative is all about as the goal of the initiative is to bring into dialogue policy makers, prosecutors and investigators so that further progress can be made in identifying assets and turning them over as appropriate. (END)