Salehi Departs For Doha To Felicitate Qatari Leader

Tehran, June 30, IRNA – Iran's FM Ali-Akbar Salehi left Tehran for Doha Saturday afternoon to felicitate the new Qatari leader. Salehi is scheduled to offer his congratulations to Qatarˈs new Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad ath-Thani and voice Iranˈs interest in further expansion of bilateral ties. Salehi will meet and confer with high-ranking Qatari officials over regional issues, and the Syrian conflict in particular. Salehi had earlier expressed hope that the Qatari transition of power would lead to a serious shift in the countryˈs foreign policy and stance about the regional developments. The Qatari leader handed over the reins of the Persian Gulf nation to his son on Tuesday. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa ath-Thaniˈs decision to abdicate willingly in favor of his son is a first in the modern history of the region. The norm is for the Arab leaders is to rule for decades in absence of democratic elections for the executive branch of the government or for the legislature until their death or until circumstances to overthrow them, such as the Islamic Awakening uprising that toppled leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya./end