4/12/2011Clinton holds talks with Amir of Qatar
WASHINGTON, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met here Tuesday with Qatari Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani during which they discussed a wide range of issues.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters that Sheikh Hamad's meeting this morning leads up his other meetings with US officials, including President Barack Obama on Thursday.
The White House announced earlier this week that Obama will meet Sheikh Hamad at the White House on Thursday, during which they will discuss the latest events in the region, including the recent developments in the Middle East and Qatar's leadership in the international effort to protect Libyan civilians.
Toner told reporters that Clinton discussed with Sheikh Hamad "a wide range of regional and bilateral issues, including, of course, the ongoing situation in Libya". Clinton "did have the opportunity during that meeting to thank Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani for Qatar's hosting of this week's meeting of the Libya contact group in Doha, as well as for Qatar's support for UN Security Council Resolution 1973 and Operation Unified Protector," Toner remarked.
US envoys William J Burns, Phillip Gordon and Jeffrey Feltman are expected to travel to Doha for a meeting of the Contact Group on Libya April 12-13.
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