Emir of Qatar Visits Damascus

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. (KUNA)
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. (KUNA)
TT

Emir of Qatar Visits Damascus

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. (KUNA)
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. (KUNA)

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani visits Damascus on Thursday, Qatar's Al Jazeera reported, as Syria's new interim government begins a political transition after the opposition factions ousted the Assad regime last year.

Qatar's foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

In January, a US official and a senior diplomat said Qatar planned to help finance a sharp increase in public sector wages pledged by Syria's new government.

Qatar had been lobbying Washington to issue a sanctions exemption for Syria allowing it to provide funding through official channels, the US official and diplomat said.



Saudi Crown Prince Receives US Secretary of State in Riyadh

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, receives US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, receives US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
TT

Saudi Crown Prince Receives US Secretary of State in Riyadh

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, receives US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, receives US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received in Riyadh on Monday US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the eve of talks on Ukraine.

Rubio had arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday to prepare for the talks and plan the anticipated summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump and Putin have agreed to kick of peace talks about Ukraine that will be attended by Crown Prince Mohammed.

Saudi and American officials will discuss bilateral relations and regional cooperation, as well as efforts to push forward peace and stability in the region.

The State Department had said Rubio’s visit to the region will “promote US interests in advancing regional cooperation, stability, and peace.”

“The trip will center on freeing American and all other hostages from Hamas captivity, advancing to Phase II of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and countering the destabilizing activities of the Iranian regime and its proxies,” it said in a statement.