Islam Times - Qatar backs foreign invasion of Syria

Islam Times - Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has said he believes Arab troops should be deployed to Syria to stop what he refers to as the deadly crackdown by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The comments were made during an interview on CBS's '60 Minutes' program, which is due to be aired on Sunday. The Associated Press, however, received excerpts of the interview on Saturday.

Sheikh Hamad is the first Arab leader to publicly call for the deployment of Arab troops in Syria.

The Qatari emir has ruled the Persian Gulf state since 1995. He came to power after deposing his father in a palace coup and was crowned on June 2000.

Moreover, Sheikh Hamad hardly tolerates any dissent and controls the country's discretionary system of law.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March, with demonstrations being held both against and in favor of President al-Assad's government.

Hundreds of people, including many members of the Syrian security forces, have been killed during the unrest.

The Syrian government says outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists are the driving factor behind the turmoil and deadly violence, while the opposition accuses the security forces of being behind the killings.

Damascus also says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country and that the security forces have been given clear instructions not to harm civilians.