BBC News Online: World: Americas

Bahrain Emir meets President Bush

The Emir of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa, has asked the United States President, George W Bush, to do more to restart Middle East peace talks.

After a meeting in Washington, the two countries also agreed to improve defence cooperation in the Gulf and called on Iraq to respect the sovereignty of Kuwait.

President Bush described Bahrain as a strong ally and praised the emir as a reformer.

In February, Bahrainis voted overwhelmingly in a referendum to support Sheikh Hamad's proposal to set up an elected parliament.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service