Qatari emir assured Obama on security of ex-Guantanamo detainees: nominee

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Dana Shell Smith, President Barack Obama's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Qatar, said on Wednesday the emir personally assured the U.S. leader that Taliban detainees transferred from Guantanamo would be kept secure. She testified at her U.S. Senate confirmation hearing that U.S. officials are confident security measures put in place would "substantially mitigate" any threat to the United States from the detainees exchanged for the release of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. "The emir personally provided his assurances to the president," she said. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Eric Beech)