RIYADH, 26 March 2003 — The Kingdom has submitted a peace proposal to the US as part of its attempt to end the war in Iraq, according to Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal.
Prince Saud was addressing a crowded press conference in the Foreign Ministry yesterday on the situation in Iraq and the Kingdom’s efforts — in tandem with the international community — to find a peaceful solution to the war.
In Washington, US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said: “We are not aware of any peace proposal from Saudi Arabia. There has been no particular approach or proposal made to us by Saudi Arabia at this stage”.
“The time for cooperative solutions with this Iraqi regime has passed. Peace proposals that leave the current Iraqi regime in place... are just not worth it,” he added.
In a wide-ranging press conference, Prince Saud also dwelt on the ramifications of the war and the cycle of hatred it would breed. He also answered questions on the situation in the Middle East and the Kingdom’s efforts to mitigate the sufferings of the Iraqis.
He argued that the war in Iraq is neither about oil nor an attempt by the US to impose its colonialist ambitions on the Middle East.
“There is no need for a war to get oil, since the US is the biggest consumer of oil and the Arab region is the biggest producer,” he said. “The US is not an imperialist power. During the last Gulf War it deployed 300,000 troops in the region, which left the area as soon as its job was done.” Asked then what could be the motive behind the war, he replied: “You should ask the US government.”
Asked about the rehabilitation of the Iraqi refugees, he said the Kingdom has made arrangements for the supply of food and medicine for 24,000 refugees at Arar near the border with Iraq.
