Brown in Qatar on latest leg of Middle East tour
Gordon Brown visits the Middle East
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Monday, 03, Nov 2008 09:41
Gordon Brown is continuing his tour of the Middle East today with talks in gas-rich Qatar.
The prime minister will visit a natural gas plant at Ras Laffan and has announced a joint £250 million clean technology investment fund for companies developing green technologies.
He is seeking to rally Middle Eastern leaders behind the western world's struggling financial system and enticed a commitment from Qatari counterpart Hamad bin Jassem that the two countries "share an understanding" of what needs to be done.
Yesterday Mr Brown won a more solid pledge from Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, who indicated he would contribute to the International Monetary Fund's $250 billion fund being gathered to combat the credit crunch.
No formal announcements can be expected until later this month. A global summit will be held in Washington to discuss the crisis on November 15th.
Yesterday Mr Brown met terrorists at a 'de-radicalisation centre' in Saudi Arabia, an unusual face-to-face meeting for a world leader.
The former Guantanamo Bay inmates are receiving psychological treatment and religious education which, it is hoped, will help them re-engage with Saudi society.