JEDDAH, 31 March 2003 — Interior Minister Prince Naif stated yesterday that the US missiles which landed in the northwestern and eastern parts of Saudi Arabia on Saturday by mistake were launched from outside the Kingdom.
“We know for sure that they did not come from Saudi Arabia. They came from other areas or from the sea,” he told intellectuals and journalists during an open dialogue in Riyadh.
The Kingdom said on Saturday that it had protested the incidents to Washington, prompting US commanders to suspend certain routes for missile launches.
A Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman said the Tomahawk cruise missiles fell in uninhabited areas northwest of the country and in Ras Mishaab, and did not cause any casualties or damage.
Informed sources in Tabuk told Arab News that three missiles landed in an area located about 260 km northwest of the city between 8.30 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Tuesday. They said the missiles fell on the Sahiman mountains, about 25 km east of Sharma port.
A fourth missile fell in a desert region close to Ras Mishaab port, 40 km south of Khafji, and 30 km from Safaniya. The sources were unsure when the fourth missile landed in Ras Mishaab but believed that it might have been last Wednesday.
In a wide-ranging interview, Prince Naif also said that the government was in close consultations with the US authorities regarding the release Saudi prisoners in Guantanamo.
“We hope that they will be released in the near future and will return to their country,” he added.
Asked about the feelings of Saudis toward the US-led war on Iraq, Prince Naif said Saudis always sympathized with Arab and Muslim causes, and they never hesitated in extending assistance to their brothers. He cited the examples of the Palestinians and Afghans.
“We pray to God to enable the Arabs and Muslims to tackle their problems in a reasonable and wise manner, and hope the international institutions would shoulder their responsibility,” he added.
Prince Naif said the Kingdom was ready to provide humanitarian assistance to Iraq. “There would be no delay from our part if we were asked to provide any assistance,” he said, adding that the Kingdom will play an active role in this respect.
The interior minister said the Kingdom will come down with an iron hand on those who try to undermine the country’s security by carrying out attacks on Saudis and expatriates.
He was referring to the recent attacks in the northern Jouf region, which resulted in the death of the region’s deputy governor of the region as well as a Shariah court judge and a traffic officer.
Referring to the blast in a Riyadh house, which killed a Saudi man, the minister said the investigation was still continuing.
“We’ll announce the result when the investigations are over,” he added.
He urged Saudis and expatriates to cooperate with security officers in their bid to track down criminals.
Prince Naif, who is chairman of the Supreme Information Council, commended the role of Saudi female journalists. “Women should be given more job opportunities in areas which are suitable for them,” he said.
He expressed indignation over some media outlets who were trying to spread “false rumors”.
“Rumors are a modern disease,” he said, urging the domestic Saudi media to counter them with the truth.
Prince Naif emphasized the need to develop Saudi television so it can compete with international satellite channels.
Prince Naif observed that the Arab media was weak in dealing with security issues. He said Arab countries were the first to fight terrorism, much before the Sept. 11 events. “The Arabs reached an agreement on combating terrorism in 1992,” he pointed out.
