Qatar army chief-of-staff meets officials in Washington

By Ahmed Yousuf

DOHA (AA) - Qatari Military Chief-of-Staff Ghanim bin Shahin al-Ghanim on Tuesday met with a number of U.S. military officials in Washington.

Among the U.S. officials who met with al-Ghanim were Joseph Francis Dunford, the chairman of the joint chiefs-of-staff; Gen. Stephen W. Wilson, the vice chief-of-staff for the U.S. Air Force; and Robert Karem, the assistant defense secretary for international security affairs.

At the meetings, the two sides discussed “means of enhancing bilateral relations in the defense and military fields”, according to Qatar’s official QNA news agency.

Other issues of mutual concern were also discussed, including ongoing efforts to combat terrorism and extremism.

Al-Ghanim also met with several officials from major U.S. defense manufacturers, along with researchers from the U.S. Business Executives for National Security, an influential NGO.

The Qatari official is currently on an official visit to the U.S., the duration of which has not been made public.