Berlin - Qatar has plans to invest in Germany, and has not ruled out a possible stake in ailing carmaker Opel, the emir of the Gulf state said in an interview published Saturday.

"We will definitely invest in Germany," Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani told weekly Spiegel news magazine.

Following the example of Abu Dhabi's decision to buy a 9.1-per-cent stake in German carmaker Daimler last week, al-Thani said the global economic crisis was a good opportunity to invest in Europe's largest economy.

"The Germans count as the most industrious workers of the world, they will fight for their economy," the Qatari emir said.

Al-Thani would not comment specifically on plans to become involved in General Motors subsidiary Opel, but said Qatar had an eye on Germany's car sector.

"It is certain that we will invest in the German car industry, but we need to find the right time and the right price to do so," the sheikh said.

"It makes sense to become involved in a car manufacturer such as Opel or Daimler, since cars are sold worldwide," al-Thani added.

The Qatari sheikh told Spiegel magazine he wanted to ensure that the emirate's wealth outlived its oil resources.

"Long-term, I see Qatar as more of an education centre than energy supplier," al-Thani said.

While several American universities have already set up shop in the emirate, he said the Europeans were being more reticent.

Qatar, the emir said, was just entering into discussions with British universities, but he said "Germany could approach us in a more engaged manner.

On the subject of Qatar's oil income, the emir said he'd be happy if oil prices stayed at 40 to 50 dollars per barrel for the next few years, adding that it would in turn benefit their country if the global economy improved.

"I don't see why OPEC should throttle production, just to keep the oil price high," the emir said.

Speaking of Qatar's relations with its Middle East neighbours, Al-Thani made it clear they had no enemies.

"We would never side with America against Iran, for example," the emir said adding, "Iran has never caused us problems."

He expressed his hope that US President Barack Obama would become more involved in the region, and welcomed Obama's overtures to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The Qatari emir also explained why his country opposed the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

"If something happens to al-Bashir and chaos erupted in Sudan, all of Africa will descend into chaos," he said, adding that the only people to benefit would be al-Qaeda.

Al-Thani also said Qatar continued to believe in a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, and would continue to allow high ranking Israelis to visit the emirate.

"We have no dark intentions, we are just giving our opinions. And we want peace," the emir said. (dpa)