Qatari -Syrian relations improving with foreign minister's visit

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Qasem Bin Jabir Al-Thani will fly to Damascus on April 17 to hold talks with Syrian counterpart Farouk al-Sharaa.

The Qatari foreign minister will also travel tomorrow to Algeria and Tunisia to discuss recent developments in the regional situation and supporting Arab joint work.

The Qatari and Syrian officials will discuss methods of enhancing bilateral relations, the situation in Iraq and the sanctions imposed on Libya.

This is first visit for Sheikh Hamad to Syria since 1996. It comes after the recent improvement in the relationship between the two contries following the Syrian foreign minister's participation in the meeting of Islamic foreign ministers in Doha in last month, at which he met with his Syrian counterpart.