DOHA: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is kicking off a visit to two key US allies in the Persian Gulf.

Clinton arrived Sunday in Qatar, where she is holding talks with top government leaders and speaking at an international conference called the US-Islamic World Forum.

President Barack Obama addressed the forum by video on Saturday, announcing that he is appointing a special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

Clinton also is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia to meet with King Abdullah and to hold a town hall-style meeting with students at a Saudi women's college.

In both countries Clinton plans to raise the issue of how to contain Iran's nuclear program, which is of gre