Pelosi Makes Official Visit to Qatar

Pelosi Makes Official Visit to Qatar

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami, 202-226-7616

Doha, Qatar - Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Rush Holt of New Jersey met on Saturday with Their Highnesses Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani and Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned to discuss U.S-Qatar relations and regional security issues.

Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Holt thanked the Emir and the Qatari people for the hospitality extended to U.S. forces based in Qatar. The country serves as the base for the U.S. CENTCOM Forward Headquarters, which oversees U.S. military activities in Iraq and Afghanistan. On Friday, Pelosi and Holt visited Al Udeid Air Base to meet with commanders and express their appreciation to the troops.

The Speaker also addressed the first graduation ceremony at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service campus in Qatar, which was opened by 2005. The Speaker praised the pioneering spirit of the 21 students who graduated from the campus today.

A senior Member of the Intelligence Committee, Congressman Holt is the Chairman of the Select Intelligence Oversight Panel, which was created at the start of the 110th Congress in January 2007.