Qatar's Emir to receive Al Sadr on Monday
Discussions to focus on the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Al Watan reported
Manama: Qatar’s Emir Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani will receive Iraqi leader Muqatada Al Sadr on Monday, a Qatari daily said.
Discussions will focus on regional developments and the withdrawal of the US troops from Iraq, Al Watan reported on Sunday.
Aides to Al Sadr said that the Doha trip by the three-man delegation was upon an invitation from Shaikh Hamad.
Under a bilateral security pact with Baghdad, Washington is scheduled to withdraw its remaining force of around 47,000 troops from Iraq by the end of this year.
However, US former Defense Secretary Robert Gates last month said the US would be willing to consider extending its military presence in Iraq, and last week, US House Speaker John Boehner said that a “small, residual” American force should remain in Iraq beyond the scheduled withdrawal date.
