Qatar raises stakes over Iraq

The Gulf state of Qatar has added its voice to Arab opposition over any American military action against Iraq.
The tiny state is home to a huge US air base at Al-Odaydia, 35 kilometres (20 miles) south west of the capital, Doha.

Speaking in Baghdad, the Qatari foreign minister, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem Al-Thani, said his country wanted a diplomatic solution to the dispute over the return of United Nations weapons inspectors to Iraq.

In the US, Vice President Dick Cheney has maintained Washington's stance that containment of Iraq is no longer an option - Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein must be removed.

Qatar joins Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in denying use of their bases for any strike against Iraq.

Some US newspapers have even reported that the US military is preparing to transfer to the emirate equipment and some of the 6,000 US troops currently stationed in Saudi Arabia to avert Saudi objections.