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Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohamed bin Saud al-Thani, chief executive
of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), delivered the message
to officials including Charles Rivkin, U.S. assistant secretary
of state for economic and business affairs, in Doha on Monday, a
Qatari official and another source close to the QIA told
Reuters.
No time frame was given for the investment. Both the QIA, one of
the world's largest sovereign funds, and a spokesman for the
U.S. embassy in Qatar declined to comment.
The QIA had previously said it intended to invest $35 billion in
unspecified projects in the United States between 2016 and 2021,
and it was not clear if the $10 billion would form part of that
larger amount, the official said.
Trump has said his economic plans include a major boost to
infrastructure investment. In one of the presidential debates
against Hillary Clinton, Trump contrasted the gleaming airports
of Qatar and Dubai with more shabby U.S. facilities such as
LaGuardia and Newark.
The investment by Qatar, which hosts the largest U.S. air base
in the Middle East, could help to cement ties with the Trump
administration at a time of uncertainty in the Gulf, where Arab
states fear any retreat of U.S. power could benefit regional foe
Iran.
Trump has signaled he may halt U.S. support to Syrian rebels
fighting President Bashar al-Assad. Qatar, along with Saudi
Arabia, has been among the top backers of the rebels.
(Reporting by Tom Finn; Editing by Andrew Torchia and Alison
Williams)
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