Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani on November 9 appealed for finding political solutions to the Iraqi crisis so as to end the sufferings of the Iraqi people who have been under international sanctions since 1990.

Addressing a meeting of Qatar's Shura (Consultative) Council, Hamad said the Iraqi people are still suffering from the sanctions and "we have to make all possible efforts to put an end to this crisis for which we believe time has come."

The Qatari emir called for resorting to political means to settle the crisis in a way that maintains Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Kuwait News Agency reported.

The UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Iraq following its invasion of Kuwait in 1990, which triggered the 1991 Gulf War.

The council insists the sanctions be lifted only after verifiable evidence shows that Baghdad has eliminated all its weapons of mass destruction.

On Gulf security and stability, Hamad reiterated that his country "supports solving all differences among regional states through dialog and adherence to the logic of justice."

He voiced confidence in the efforts exerted by a Gulf tripartite committee in helping solve the dispute between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran over the Gulf islands of Abu Moussa and Greater and Lesser Tunbs.

Both UAE and Iran claim sovereignty over the islands, which are located near the strategic mouth of the Strait of Hormuz and being controlled by Tehran.

The committee was established at the Gulf Arab foreign ministerial meeting that was held in the Saudi Red Sea port city of Jeddah early July. It comprises Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, with an aim to work out a proper mechanism for a peaceful solution to the UAE-Iranian territorial dispute.