RIYADH, 30 March 2003 — A group of some 120 Saudi intellectuals have turned down an invitation from US Ambassador Robert Jordan for a meeting to discuss their opposition to the US-led war on Iraq and to explain America’s point of view.
The invitation came in response to a petition the Saudis had sent to US President George W. Bush through Ambassador Jordan calling on him to abandon the war.
According to Hasan Al-Mustapha, one of the signatories to the petition, “the ambassador had asked to meet all the signatories to the letter in Riyadh later this week, but the petitioners unanimously decided to turn down the invitation.” Their response was conveyed through an e-mail sent to Ambassador Jordan on Friday.
The petitioners said: “We regret to inform you that we find such a meeting inappropriate under the current circumstances. We are very disappointed with your administration for ignoring the United Nations and world opinion.
“We now witness what we had warned against in our letter — the killing of innocent civilians and destruction of the Iraqi infrastructure,” they added.
In the petition sent to President Bush on March 15, Saudi intellectuals, including women and Islamic scholars, had made a strong representation against the war on Iraq, arguing that it was “unjust and immoral.”
In the petition, the intellectuals said the war would lead to refugee problems and economic constraints, besides creating instability in the region. It referred to the devastating consequences of the 1991 Gulf War that cost the lives of many people in the region.
“Moreover, economic growth was affected to such an extent that the Arab countries, according to UN reports, lost eight million job opportunities as a result of the 1991 war.”
