WASHINGTON: US Vice President Joe Biden has met the prime minister of 
crucial Gulf ally Qatar at the White House, and discussed the deepening 
violence in Syria, officials said.National Security Advisor Tom Donilon 
also joined the meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim 
Al-Thani, which also touched on key regional issues amid maritime 
tensions between the United States and Iran.'In particular, they 
condemned the ongoing violence in Syria perpetrated by the Assad regime 
and noted the significance of the Arab League observer mission s final 
report due on January 19,' a White House statement said.'The Vice 
President and Mr. Donilon also reaffirmed the longstanding commitment of
 the United States to the security of our partners and allies, and 
agreed with the Prime Minister on the need to maintain stability in the 
region.'Earlier, President Bashar al-Assad vowed to defeat a 
'conspiracy' against Syria, as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 
branded a rare speech he delivered the day before as 'chillingly 
clinical.'And the Assad regime s deadly 10-month crackdown on dissent 
showed no signs of abating, with a rocket attack killing at least seven 
people in the flashpoint central city of Homs, including a French 
reporter and six Syrians. (AFP)
      
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