RIYADH, 31 December 2002 — Saudi Arabia denied yesterday reports of a secret promise by Riyadh to make its airspace and bases available for use by the United States in the event of war against Iraq.
“This report is untrue. The Kingdom’s position on this issue has been very clear from the start,” Prince Abdul Rahman, deputy minister for defense and aviation told Okaz daily.
Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal told reporters during a visit to Sudan: “The truth is what I said, not what the newspaper reported.” Prince Saud was shown making the remarks on Al-Jazeera television while referring to a report in The New York Times on Sunday. The report quoted a top US military official as saying Saudi Arabia would cooperate with the United States in a war against Iraq by making its airspace, air bases and an important operations center available to the US.
“Even if the Security Council issues a unanimous decision to attack Iraq, we hope a chance will be given to the Arab states to find a political solution to this issue,” Prince Saud said.
Prince Abdul Rahman reiterated Saudi commitment to supporting the “UN decision regarding the imposition of the no-fly zone over southern Iraq.”
“This is well-known to all ... The Kingdom is committed to the UN resolutions like all other countries (but) we are not concerned with anything else,” he said in reference to the Times report.
Prince Saud last Tuesday renewed the Kingdom’s rejection of a threatened US war against neighboring Iraq, saying Riyadh would not take part in any military action. “If the UN Security Council sanctions war against Iraq, this requires cooperation 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,” Prince Saud said. “There has been no change in the duties of foreign troops in the Kingdom since the end of the 1991 Gulf War.” (Agencies)
