Remarks Prior to Discussions With Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar in Doha, Qatar

Amir Hamad. I would like to welcome His Excellency the President in Qatar. We are delighted to have him here with us in Qatar. The President is the first sitting U.S. President ever to visit Qatar. However, his father, President Bush, was actually here in Qatar in 1960, but perhaps the President does not remember. He was young then. [Laughter]

So we are delighted to continue our dialog with the President and continue the issues that we have discussed recently in Washington during my visit regarding the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

President Bush. Your Highness, thank you so much for your grand hospitality. You have been a steadfast friend of the United States, and for that we are very grateful. You and your wife have been a leader in education reform and reforms leading to freedom, and for that we are very grateful as well and are impressed by your leadership. And it is my honor to be the first sitting United States President to have visited this important country, and I want to thank you for your hospitality.