Qatari emir to visit Khartoum at month's end

A Sudanese diplomatic source told ArabicNews.com that Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani will visit Sudan at the end of the current month, and that he will attend the anniversary of Sudanese President Omar El-Bashir's rise to power.

The source said that during his visit to Sudan, "considered the first of its kind for a gulf leader for Sudan in years," Sheikh Hamad will meet with President El-Bashir to enhance the bilateral relations, "which view a continuous development."

The source added that the Sudanese president received yesterday a message from Sheikh Hamad delivered by the Qatari ambassador in Khartoum, Abdallah Mohammed Taleb, which tackled bilateral relations and accepting Bashir's invitation to visit Khartoum."

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Othman Ismael visited Doha last month and conveyed an invitation from Bashir to Sheikh Hamad to visit the Sudanese capital.

Meanwhile, the Qatari - Sudanese committee will hold its first meeting with the chairmanship of the two ministers of finance in Doha on June 23 - 25.

Agreements for economic cooperation will be signed, and a joint council for businessmen will be formed.