RIYADH, 6 February 2003 — Saudi Arabia said yesterday that it feared a US-led war on Baghdad would set out a turmoil in the volatile region and transform Iraq into another Afghanistan with rival ethnic and religious factions fighting for power.
“If things fall apart, who will come back and bring it all back together?” Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal asked while addressing a news conference.
“All the factions inside Iraq will present their visions for a new government like they did in Afghanistan. These are the consequences of a conflict, and if that happens, it will result in the division of Iraq,” he said.
Critics of the US war which toppled the Taleban in Afghanistan say Western countries have failed to end ethnic and religious rivalries, and the country faces years of instability.
Prince Saud also asked the United Nations to “give equal attention to the territorial integrity of Iraq” before sanctioning military action.
“The Security Council is not an authority charged with granting permits to go to war but rather a body called upon to seek peaceful solutions to safeguard security, peace and stability in the world,” he said. “World peace and security will not be able to be guaranteed without safeguarding the territorial stability and integrity of all countries, including Iraq.”
The prince urged the Security Council to “study all aspects of the Iraqi crisis”.
He said the goal of military action should not be to punish Iraq or occupy it. He said he had discussed his country’s fears with US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
“Our aim is to make the United Nations aware of its responsibility...not only to (issue) a decree allowing the use of force against Iraq but to have one that would create a force to maintain Iraqi security but not occupy it,” he added.
Prince Saud reiterated that Arab countries must be given a last chance to intervene on behalf of Baghdad to prevent a war in the event of a new UN resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq.
