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WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heads to Qatar and Saudi Arabia this weekend amid efforts to boost ties with Muslim nations, revive Arab-Israeli peace talks and tackle security concerns.
During the February 13-16 trip, Clinton is scheduled to attend the US-Islamic World Forum on Sunday in Qatar and meet the Gulf state's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said.
The chief US diplomat will also meet Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani, who plays a dual role as Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister, Crowley added in a statement on Tuesday.
At the US-Islamic forum in Doha two years ago, delegates voiced support for then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, although some warned against expecting any radical policy change should he win the White House.
A year into his administration, Obama has yet to achieve any significant momentum on stalled peace talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis, and Muslim audiences are now less receptive to his promise of a "new beginning" with the Muslim world.
During her visit to Saudi Arabia on Monday and Tuesday, Clinton's agenda includes talks with King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud and Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal.
Crowley provided no details of the talks in both Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The visit to Qatar would complement the Obama administration's efforts to improve ties with the Muslim world.
In his inauguration speech last year, Obama vowed to seek a "new way forward" with the Muslim world "based on mutual interest and mutual respect," after eight rocky years under his predecessor George W. Bush.
During her stop in Saudi Arabia, Clinton will likely discuss the Arab-Israeli peace process, ways to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions and the threat from Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), based in neighboring Yemen.
The Al-Qaeda affiliate allegedly trained Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian accused of trying to detonate explosives concealed in his underwear as an airliner carrying nearly 300 people aboard approached Detroit on December 25.
The State Department first announced the trip on its DipNote Twitter account, which officials said was the first time the agency had announced the secretary's travel plans in a tweet.
- AFP/sc
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