Last update - 00:00 24/10/2006
FM Livni invited to attend international conference in Qatar
By Haaretz Service and The Associated Press
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has been invited to attend a conference in Qatar next week, an official said Tuesday.
Ido Aharoni, Livni's spokesman, said she has not yet decided whether to accept the invitation to the U.N.-sponsored conference on democracy. A decision was expected later Tuesday, he said.
Should Livni choose to attend, it would be the highest-profile visit by an Israeli official to the Gulf state since then-prime minister Shimon Peres visited in 1996.
Israel has low-level diplomatic ties with Qatar.
There were no further details on the possible agenda. But officials said the visit could include discussions on the Iranian nuclear program and the fate of captured Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, held by Hamas-linked militants in the Gaza Strip. The officials were not authorized to speak to the media and requested anonymity.
Qatar has good relations with Hamas and has attempted to mediate between
Israel and the Islamic militant group in the past.
Officials in Qatar were not immediately available for comment due to the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.