U.S. President Barack Obama will welcome Amir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to the White House on Thursday to discuss "a range of issues," the White House said on Sunday, Xinhua reported.
It described Qatar as "an important partner of the United States," saying Obama "looks forward to discussing a range of issues" with the Amir, including the recent developments in the Middle East and "Qatar's leadership in the international effort to protect Libyan civilians."
Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are the only two Arab countries to send warplanes to join the NATO-led military strikes against Libya, and the first meeting of the Contact Group on Libya will be held on Wednesday in Doha, capital of Qatar.
The Contact Group, formed on March 29 in London when top representatives from up to 40 countries and international organizations met on the future of Libya, is responsible for political governance of the military intervention and the implementation of UN resolutions.