SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia yesterday challenged reports that the kingdom had agreed to US use of its bases in a war against Iraq.
On Sunday the US Air Force chief, Gen John Jumper, was quoted in the New York Times as saying, "I firmly believe the Saudis will give us all the co-operation we need, and every indica- tion I have is we're getting pretty much what we've asked for," implying that the kingdom would make available airspace and bases to the US if it goes to war with Iraq.
The Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal replied: "The truth is what I said, not what the newspaper reported." He was referring to a declaration he made on December 25th in which he said, "If the UN Security Council sanctions war against Iraq, this requires co-operation by all countries . . . But this does not mean all countries must take part in military action. Obviously we will not take part in military actions."
He said that granting the US and Britain permission to operate patrols over the southern Iraqi "no fly" zone from the state-of-the-art Prince Sultan base near Riyadh "does not mean the kingdom will attack Iraq or allow strikes against Iraq from its territories."
He added that Saudi Arabia was pleased with Iraq's co-operation with UN weapons inspectors and hopes "that their report [due on January 27th] would help spare Iraq any military action". The Saudi press also published a dismissal of the report by the Deputy Defence Minister, Prince Abdel Rahman bin Abdel Aziz. He said, "These remarks are incorrect . . . the kingdom's stance has been clear from the start. We have made no commitments on any \ matters."
Saudi Arabia served as the main base for the US-led campaign to oust Iraq from Kuwait in 1991.
The state has repeatedly declared that there is no difference between public statements and private conversations with US officials on this issue.
The Saudi stand was reinforced by the six nation Gulf Co-operation Council Secretary General, Dr Abdel Rahman al-Attiya, who said that all the council's members "oppose any military action" against Iraq and favour a diplomatic solution to the problem of Baghdad's alleged possession of banned weaponry. Saudi Arabia is the main power in the GCC.
The Saudi position was echoed by Jordan, under pressure to grant the US use of its territory to launch a ground offensive.
Jordan's Minister of State for Political Affairs and Minister of Information, Mr Muhammad Adwan, asserted: "Our position is transparent. We are against military action and will have no role in it."
He said the kingdom was doing its utmost to avert "the catastrophic option of war" against Iraq.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council yesterday extended the list of goods which are in principle banned for export to Iraq, to include about five dozen chemicals, drugs, electronic items and vehicles.
Russia and Syria abstained on the vote after the US insisted on putting certain kinds of trucks on the list, which is designed to prevent Iraq acquiring goods with a military potential.
Inspectors from the IAEA and the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission visited more sites yesterday, checking a heavily guarded facility which produces metal moulds and tools in a Baghdad suburb, which previous inspectors listed as producing modified Scud missiles. - (Additional reporting Reuters)
