RIYADH, 22 October 2003 — Saudi Arabia did not strike any military deal with Pakistan during the recent visit of Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, to Islamabad, the defense minister has said. “No military agreements were concluded between the Kingdom and Pakistan during the crown prince’s visit to Islamabad” on Saturday and Sunday, Okaz daily quoted Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, as saying.
Meanwhile, the Defense and Aviation Ministry yesterday called “baseless” reports that Saudi authorities had arrested four air force pilots for behaving suspiciously during air force maneuvers in the summer resort of Taif on Wednesday.
The report said the incident took place while Prince Sultan was attending the event. “The exercise took place in the presence of only Prince Khaled ibn Sultan, assistant minister of defense and aviation for military affairs,” a ministry spokesman said, contradicting the report.
“The exercise was completed without a hitch and nobody was arrested,” he added.
The spokesman also denied the report that Saudi authorities had found three missiles in the Qauziya region, south of Jeddah Port, aimed at American marine targets. “This report is totally fabricated. There is no truth in it at all,” he said.
