Saudis tell U.S. not to start fight with Iraq

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia has made clear to Washington -- publicly and privately -- that the U.S. military will not be allowed to use the kingdom's soil in any way for an attack on Iraq, Foreign Minister Prince Saud said Wednesday.

Saud said in an interview that his country opposes any U.S. operation against Iraq "because we believe it is not needed, especially now that Iraq is moving to implement United Nations resolutions."

"We have told them we don't want them to use Saudi grounds" for any attack on Iraq, he said.

With speculation building about possible U.S. military action. Iraq last week invited U.N. chief weapons inspector Hans Blix to Baghdad for talks that could lead to a resumption of the inspections after more than 3 1/2 years.

No request

In reaction to Saud's comments, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld said Wednesday that Washington has not requested any use of Saudi territory for action against Iraq.

"The president has not proposed such a thing; therefore, I don't find it really something that has been engaged as such," he told reporters at the Pentagon.

President Bush has said he is committed to a regime change in Iraq, and Washington has dismissed the Blix invitation as a ploy.

Bush said Wednesday he would be cautious about moving to oust President Saddam Hussein, but vowed action.

"I will be patient and deliberate," he said in a speech in Mississippi. "We will continue to consult with Congress and, of course, we'll consult with our friends and allies."

"I will explore all options and all tools at my disposal; diplomacy, international pressure, perhaps the military. But ... as we see threats evolving, we will deal with them," he said.

In a letter replying to the Iraqi offer, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan told Baghdad it must accept the Security Council's terms for the return of weapons inspectors.

Under U.N. Security Council resolutions, sanctions imposed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait cannot be lifted until U.N. inspectors certify that Iraq's biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons have been destroyed along with the long-range missiles to deliver them.

Arab nations uniformly have come out against a U.S. military campaign to oust Saddam, even though there is little love regionally for the Iraqi leader. Most Arab nations joined the U.S.-led Gulf War coalition that liberated Kuwait in 1991, with Saudi Arabia inviting U.S. troops to the oil-rich kingdom to help defend it against Saddam's forces.

Moving munitions

The United States reportedly has quietly moved munitions, equipment and communications gear to the al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar from Saudi Arabia in recent months, concerned the kingdom would not lend its full support to military action.

On Wednesday, Saud denied any speculation that Saudi Arabia might privately support action to remove Saddam despite its public opposition.

He said the private line to Washington was no different from the public remarks:

"We couldn't have made our position more clear, our leaders have said this and everybody responsible in the kingdom has said this."

"For the government of Iraq, the leadership of Iraq, any change that happens there has to come from the Iraqi people. This is our attitude," Saud said.

Opposition to U.S. action against Iraq has also been growing more vocal in Europe.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder this week came out against an attack. In an interview published Wednesday, he said military action would wreck the international coalition, throw the Mideast into turmoil and hurt the economy.

A government minister in Britain, a country seen as Bush's strongest supporter against Iraq, suggested Baghdad's gesture to readmit inspectors could make military action unnecessary.

While getting rid of Saddam is desired, "what is important is that we focus on getting the inspectors in and we make sure that the threat of weapons of mass destruction is dealt with," Foreign Office Minister Mike O'Brien said.

Meanwhile, the prince dismissed a flap over a briefing at the Pentagon at which an analyst accused Saudi Arabia of supporting terrorism and recommended to a policy group that Washington hand the kingdom an ultimatum.

U.S. officials have since distanced themselves from the comments by the analyst from the Rand think tank -- but it revived sharp criticism of Saudi Arabia, which some U.S. officials say has not done enough against terrorism.

Asked about the criticism, Saud said there were "individuals who have their opinions about Saudi Arabia. We think they are based on false assumptions and on untruths in most instances."

He said his country's 70-year-old relations with Washington remain solid. "From our part and from the talks that we have had in the administration ... we have seen no change in attitude toward Saudi Arabia," the prince said.