Prior to this assignment he was Qatar’s Ambassador to the US from 2000 to 2005. He also served as Director of European and American Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar. A career diplomat with more than 25 years experience, Al Dafa has served as ambassador to several states. Most recently, he served as ambassador to the Russian Federation (1995-98). While in Moscow, Al Dafa was accredited to Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. From 1993 to 1995, he served as ambassador to France with non-resident accreditation in Greece and Switzerland. He has also served as ambassador to Egypt (1988-1993) and Spain (1982-1988).