Qatar for convening an international conference on Iraq

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasem Bin Jaber al-Thani has proposed convening a UN conference to settle the Iraqi crisis and to pave the way for the gradual lifting of the economic sanctions imposed on Iraq.

In a statement to reporters before he made a speech at Rice University in Houston, the Qatari minister said Qatar is worried over the difficulties the Iraqi people suffer due to the UN sanctions, which have been imposed on Iraq since 1990.

He stressed the UN conferences he proposes should deal with the Iraqi issue thoroughly and be persistent about honoring the resolutions of the international organization and the security of Iraq's neighbors.

As a well-intended initiative, the Qatari foreign minister proposed that the international community has to draw up a timetable for a gradual lifting of the sanctions.