Israeli foreign minister in Qatar to discuss peace

Occupied Jerusalem: Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has flown to Qatar, marking her first visit to an Arab nation that has no diplomatic ties with Israel.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel said on Sunday that Qatar's leader, Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, invited Livni to give the keynote speech at Monday's 8th annual Doha Forum on Democracy, Development and Free Trade. He said she would also be meeting one-on-one with Qatari leaders.

Mekel said: "They are among the moderates and they support the peace process, so it's important to go when they invite us."

Livni has met with Qatari leaders at the United Nations, but this will be her first meeting with them in Qatar. The only other Arab states Livni has visited are Egypt and Jordan, which have peace treaties with Israel.