Qatar backs Kutesa for UN job
Qatar has pledged to support the foreign affairs minister, Sam Kutesa in his impending election as president for the United Nations General Assembly.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, the Emir of Qatar has affirmed his country’s unwavering support for Kutesa for the UN job a midst a petition by some Ugandans to block him(Kutesa).
This was revealed during a meeting between Mr Tamin and the Uganda’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Dr. Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu who also doubles as the Country’s Permanent Representative to the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Doha Qatar.
In a statement from Doha Qatar, Ssemuddu is quoted saying Kutesa has a good record, hardworking and would work in the interest of the common cause of the United Nations family, a reason he should be voted for the job.
In his response, the Emir agreed to support Mr Kutesa, describing the relationship between Uganda and Qatar as important and added that the bond between the two countries can be traced as far as 40 years ago.
By Thursday morning, over 7,000 people had signed an online petition asking the United States government to revoke Kutesa’s visa and stop him from taking up the job.
The petition asks questions about Kutesa’s censure in 1999 and his rumored vast wealth. The petition also makes reference to Uganda’s ill-fated invasion of DR Congo in the 1990s, human rights abuses and possible war crimes in northern Uganda and South Sudan, as well as Museveni’s “repressive and brutal dictatorship” over 28 years. The petitioner wonders whether Kutesa won’t use his position to block investigations into these matters.
