SECRETARY CLINTON: I’m very pleased to welcome to the State Department His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Bahrain. He’s here in Washington meeting with high-level officials in our government. He has just come from the White House meeting there. And it is very significant to have these discussions, to hear directly from the Crown Prince about the plans that Bahrain is pursuing with respect to dealing with the issues that it currently is considering at home, and to create the conditions for political and economic reform.
Bahrain is a partner, and a very important one, to the United States, and we are supportive of a national dialogue and the kinds of important work that the Crown Prince has been doing in his nation, and we look forward to it continuing.
CROWN PRINCE AL-KHALIFA: Thank you very much. It’s a great pleasure to be here. I have the honor to be here as a representative of my country during this challenging time. It is a great test, but also a great opportunity to drive the nation forward. We are committed to reform in both the political and economic spheres, and I would like to reiterate that support and to find out ways in which we can work closely with our very important ally, the United States, in making it happen, because I personally feel, and I think many do, that this is in the interests of both our nations.
Thank you very much.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. Thank you very much.
