Arroyo to leave for Qatar Dec 13

MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Arroyo will leave for Qatar on Dec. 13 and is expected to be back from the trip on Dec. 15, Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said on Monday. Dureza said the President would fly to Middle East to meet the leaders of Qatar to ask for their support in case the world suffers from another fuel crisis. He added that the President would also check on the condition of the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the midst of looming global economic downturn. “The purpose of the Qatar trip is first to meet with the leaders of Qatar especially as we try and see to it that we will be provided support in the event there will be a fuel crisis," he said. “And the Middle East is home to many of our expatriates and this is one of the visits where the president will continue to work hard to see to it our OFWs, our expatriates, will be provided support, so that if there is going to be some effect adversely on OFWs that we will be ready to provide the assistance to them," he added. Dureza also said the President is expected to ask for the advice of the Qatar government on how to deal with the country’s domestic insurgencies. He said Qatar “is very strong in interfaith dialogue and in their peace process that they have been involved in Lebanon and therefore it will be a good opportunity also for some exchanges on how the peace process has been attended to in that part of the world." This would be second foreign trip of Mrs Arroyo this month. Last week, Mrs. Arroyo went to Hong Kong to attend the Clinton Global Initiative Asia Meeting. - Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV