DAMASCUS, (SANA)-President Bashar al-Assad on Monday received a letter from Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Ben Khalifa Al Thani in which he thanked Syria and President al-Assad for the efforts he exerted to solve the Lebanese crisis and reach al-Doha agreement.  

The letter was conveyed by Qatar's Prime Minister , Sheikh Hamad Ben Jasem Ben Jabr Al Thani during a meeting with President al-Assad in Damascus. Talks during the meeting dealt with the current situation in the region and the necessity for intensifying efforts to solve the Arab issues, particularly because Syria holds the current presidency of the Arab Summit.

The discussions also concentrated on boosting cooperation between the two brotherly countries Syria and Qatar in all fields.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem attended the meeting.

"I'm happy to meet President al-Assad and convey to him a message from the Emir of Qatar including our thanks for the Syrian role in reaching a solution to the Lebanese crisis," Sheikh Hamad Ben Jasem, who is also Qatar's Foreign Minister said in a statement following the meeting.

"We are also happy that the Arab League has been able to reach a determination that the Lebanese crisis should be resolved.. al-Doha agreement came as a crowning for this work… undoubtedly, without the work of all Arab sides seriously on this issue, we couldn't reach this agreement," Qatar Premier added.

He said "I'm sure that if there was an Arab comprehensive consensus, the Arab countries would have capability to solve any matter in a positive and rapid way… but the most important thing is to reach an agreement on a solution."

Qatar Prime Minister's visit to Damascus comes in the framework of continuation of coordination and consultation between the two friendly countries regarding Arab different issues.

Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Ben Khalifa Al Thani held talks with President al-Assad in Damascus on 9 May dealing with the latest developments in the region, particularly in Lebanon.

Mazen