Bahraini ruler meets with Albright

Ruler of Bahrain Sheikh Issa Bin Salman al-Khalifa on Tuesday received US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and members of her accompanying delegation. The Gulf News Agency said the Middle East peace process and obstacles placed by Israel before it were discussed.

Also discussed were current developments in the region, especially the Iraqi crisis with the UN concerning inspection and means of settling this crisis.

Meanwhile, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Muhammad Bin Mubarak al-Khalifa said today that he agreed with his US counterpart Madeleine Albright on the need to eliminate obstacles impeding the ME peace process. In a joint press conference with Albright, GNA said the two ministers agreed to the need for Iraq's commitment to the implementation of all UN Security Council resolutions and to permit full work freedom to the UN inspection team.

The Bahraini minister stressed that the two sides agreed to spare no diplomatic efforts to reach a peaceful solution to the current crisis. He stressed his country's unswerving position provided for preserving the unity of Iraq and its territorial integrity.