VP Hashimi off to Doha on official visit

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq’s Vice-President, Tareq al-Hashimi, flew to Doha on Monday for an official visit in response to an official invitation by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin-Khalifa al-Thani, according to a Presidential statement. It said Dr. Hashimi would confer with the Qatari viceroy, Sheikh Tamim Bin-Hamad al-Thani and Prime Minister, Sheikh Hamad Bin-Jabur al-Thani, on bilateral relations and means of boosting them. The statement stressed that Hashimi would “carry out talks related to the pan-Arab efforts to achieve closer viewpoints among Iraqi political parties and choices to come out of the current crisis. In addition, they would discuss means of accelerating the formation of a government of national unity, based on building a genuine trust and participation in taking decisions and the administration of the state. Hashimi’s visit to Doha is taking place at a time of an international tour by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who visited Jordan and then headed to Tehran. Maliki also intends to visit Egypt and Turkey, to discuss bilateral relations. SKH/SR 1