Khalid Al Attiyah also warned Israel that it is “offending 1.5 billion Muslims” with its policies in Jerusalem and hit out at World Cup critics.
In an interview airing tomorrow, the foreign minister told Al Jazeera English’s UpFront program that Syrians “can liberate their country themselves.”
When asked if Qatar would provide military assistance to rebels fighting President Bashar Al Assad’s government forces, he added:
“No, this is out of the question to have our soldiers’ (feet) on the ground … What they want is financial support, they want people to listen to them.”
Financing rebels
Al Attiyah’s remarks come as Qatar prepares to join the latest round of international talks on the Syrian conflict, scheduled for Friday in Vienna.His comments followed an interview with CNN Arabic earlier this month in which he raised the prospect of a “military intervention,” saying, “Anything that protects the Syrian people and Syria from partition, we will not spare any effort to carry it out.”

Al Jazeera
Interview with Khalid Al Attiyah on UpFront
An analyst who spoke to Doha News last week said it was unlikely that Qatar would send soldiers into Syria.
However, Michael Stephens – the director at the Royal United Services Institute in Qatar – suggested Al Attiyah’s remarks indicated the government may increase its support for rebels in response to Russia’s recent bombing campaign.
Qatar supports the ousting of Assad in Syria and has contributed military training, cash and diplomatic boosts such as UN resolutions and hosting the first opposition-operated Syrian embassy.
For the first time, Iran will be among the nations participating alongside Qatar in tomorrow’s Syria talks in Vienna.
Iran and the Gulf states have opposed rival groups in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, contributing to heightened tensions in the region.