Qatar's Amir confirms deal on gas supply to Germany

Amir of Qatar HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz

The Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani expressed optimism on Friday that an agreement between the United States and Iran could be achieved, voicing readiness to help in the matter.

Talks to revive a 2015 accord restraining Iran's nuclear programme with world powers have been on hold since March, chiefly over Tehran's insistence that Washington remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from the U.S. list of designated terrorist organisations.

"We hope there will be an agreement between the parties to the nuclear agreement, and Qatar is ready to participate in resolving this conflict," the emir told a joint news conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Germany, Britain, China, France and Russia are also parties to the accord which then U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018.{nL2N2X51MN]

Separately, the emir confirmed plans to start supplying Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Germany in 2024, as reported by the German daily Handelsblatt.

German plans to set up LNG terminals are picking up speed as the country scrambles to wean itself off cheaper gas imports piped from Russia, in response to Moscow's attack on Ukraine.

Reporting by Marwa Rashad and Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Hugh Lawson

REUTERS