JEDDAH, 19 February 2003 — At a time when anti-war sentiments have reached an all-time high around the world, Saudi Arabia has again stressed the importance of Iraq’s full cooperation with the UN Security Council.
Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said in an interview on Monday that an attack by the United States on Iraq would be seen by many as an act of aggression.
“We think war is going to be a tremendous threat to the region... We think that, especially if it doesn’t come through the United Nations’ authority, that it would be a dangerous thing to do. If an attack comes through the UN Security Council, obviously it is not aggression,” he said.
The Kingdom has maintained that if the Security Council approves war on Baghdad, its decision to join in will be based on the material breach by Iraq of the Council’s Resolution 1441 and Saudi national interest.
Prince Saud said that “independent action” was not “good for the US. It would encourage people to think that what they are doing is a war of aggression rather than a war for the implementation of the United Nations resolution.”
Al-Faisal added: “If change of regime comes with the destruction of Iraq then you are solving one problem and creating far more problems.
“We live in the region. We will suffer the consequences of any military action.”
Regime change can only be a possibility if it is done “indigenously”, he said.
“There has never been in the history of the world a country in which a regime change happened at the bayonets of guns that has led to stability.”
Saudi journalist Dawood Al-Shurayan talked to AFP about the concerns of the Kingdom if Iraq is attacked. “This is a continuation of the Saudi pressure to convince US decision-makers not to wage war against Iraq. Saudi Arabia does not want war because it is aware of its serious consequences.”
Some of the disturbing scenarios include Iraq’s possible disintegration into ethnic or religious civil wars, with unrest spilling over into neighboring Arab countries.
Prince Abdul Rahman, the deputy defense and aviation minister, meanwhile asserted that no foreign troops would be allowed to attack any Arab country from Saudi territory. “Be assured that no one will be allowed to step into Saudi Arabia to fight any Arab country,” the prince told Saudi troops and members of the Peninsula Shield forces in the north of the country. “This is the position of every Saudi official,” he said.
Also, an official had this to say: “The polarization of the UN Security Council is not in the best interest of the region. It should be nurtured and supported. But the ball is in Iraq’s court. They should comply with UN resolution 1441, which means disarming, or full cooperation with the UN inspectors.”
Saudi newspapers yesterday pursued an antiwar campaign and urged Arabs not to provide any facilities that may endanger the safety of Iraq, in line with a non-binding call by Arab foreign ministers who met in Cairo at the weekend.
