Qatar Foreign Minister: Little hope for Peaceful Settlement of Iraqi crisis

There's still a little hope for a peaceful solution of the Iraqi crisis, Qatar Foreign Minister sheikh Hamad bin Jasem bin Jabir Al Thani told Qatar TV company Al Jazeera on Saturday. The minister, who met in the US with President George Bush, says the US Administration still hopes to resolve the issue by peaceful means through the UN Security Council. The Qatar foreign minister reported that Washington had not yet asked Qatar for permission to use the Al Udeid air force base, located near Doha. This, in his opinion, is explained by the fact that Washington still does not rule out a peaceful development of events. That base, according to certain information, has the longest runway in the Middle East.