Saudi, Iran Repeat Opposition to U.S. Strike on Iraq
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Prince Saud and Kharazi, growing brotherly relations between the two Muslim states. |
TEHRAN,
Aug 3 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - As Washington upped its
rhetoric against Baghdad, the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia and
Iran expressed joint opposition Saturday, August 3, 2002, to any U.S.
military action against common neighbor Iraq.
"We
have always opposed any attack against an Arab or Muslim country and
that also means Iraq," Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal told
reporters as he was welcomed at the airport by his Iranian counterpart
Kamal Kharazi at the start of a one-day visit, reported Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
"That
is Iran's position too," Kharazi said. "We too have the same
position. As we have said on various occasions, we are opposed to any
attack launched against a Muslim country."
The
Saudi Foreign Minister said he was bringing a message from Crown
Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, for the
Iranian leadership as part of the "continuing political
consultations" between the two regional powers.
"This
message deals with the Middle East situation and, in general terms,
with the whole region," said Prince Saud, who was due to hold
afternoon talks with moderate President Mohammad Khatami after a
morning meeting with Kharazi.
"We
have a lot of things to discuss and we must consult together on
regional issues," the Saudi Minister said.
"We
want to continue our discussions with our Iranian brothers as
usual."
Despite
U.S. misgivings, Saudi Arabia moved much closer to Iran's Islamic
regime since the election of the moderate Khatami as President in
1997.
The
longtime rivals inked a security pact in April last year during a
landmark visit to Tehran by Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, the first
Saudi Interior Minister to visit Iran since the 1979 Islamic
revolution.
Khatami
visited the kingdom in 1999 and the two nations have also worked
together since 1999 to orchestrate oil production cuts by the OPEC
cartel that stabilized world prices.
The
consultations between the two Gulf powers, came as U.S. officials
warned Washington was determined to oust the Baghdad regime whatever
it did.
U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell Saturday emphatically rejected an
Iraqi offer to discuss a return of UN weapons inspectors who fled in
December 1998 on the eve of the last massive U.S.-British air strikes
on Baghdad.
Under
Secretary of State John Bolton hammered home the point in an interview
on BBC radio.
"Let
there be no mistake. While we also insist on the reintroduction of the
weapons inspectors, our policy at the same time insists on regime
change in Baghdad," Bolton said.
"That
policy will not be altered, whether the inspectors go in or not."
Meanwhile,
the Saudi press Saturday, August 3, warned the United States of a
major catastrophe in the Middle East if Washington goes ahead with
plans to launch war on Iraq and oust President Saddam Hussein.
The
daily newspapers also accused the kingdom's main Western ally of
working in tandem with Israel to change the political map of the
region.
"Certainly
this decision (to launch war on Iraq) will lead the region into a
catastrophe, and its victims will be many," said Okaz in
an editorial.
"If
the goal is to change the political map (of the region) and continue
the war of change from one country to another, the result will be ...
deep problems," it added.
"We
warn against going ahead in the policy of change, and strongly caution
that the region will never be another Afghanistan."
Al-Bilad
newspaper charged that as Washington prepared to change the regime
in Baghdad, Tel Aviv was using the same pretext to remove the
Palestinian leadership.
"The
seriousness of the events in Palestine is that they coincide with
American plans to strike Iraq and change its regime. Israel appears to
be imitating the U.S. plans ... to overthrow the Palestinian
Authority," Al-Bilad said.
"All
wars are dirty, but the worst are those which do not have
international authorization and are not aimed at eliminating
oppression or preventing a human catastrophe ... On the contrary, they
are aimed at strengthening oppression and deepening catastrophe,"
the paper added.
The
Saudi press, normally reflecting official thinking in Riyadh, on
Wednesday accused the United States of seeking to occupy neighboring
Iraq to control the whole region.
The
newspaper's comments come amid increasing speculation about U.S. plans
for a possible military campaign, and after Iraq invited chief UN
inspector Hans Blix to Baghdad for talks.
The
English-language Arab News called on Iraq to allow the
unconditional return of arms inspectors and warned of disasters if a
war was launched.
"For
the moment, everyone - except Bush and the Iraqi opposition - agrees
that an attack on Iraq would send disastrous shock waves throughout
the Arab world," the paper warned.
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