The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al- Thani, arrived Friday in Beirut for a three-day visit during which he will hold talks with officials and tour areas of southern Lebanon. Sheikh Hamad, accompanied by a high-ranking diplomatic delegation, was greeted at Beirut International Airport by Lebanese president Michel Suleiman, House speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Saad Hariri, according to dpa. Hamad's arrival came only one hour after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi King Abdullah ended talks with Lebanese politicians, urging parties to avoid resorting to violence in the face of mounting political tensions in the country. The Qatari emir is also scheduled to tour areas in southern Lebanon which his country helped reconstruct following the July 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
