Pentagon claims "refueling, reconnaissance, surveillance and cargo planes will be allowed to fly from Saudi bases…on the way to missions in or near Iraq"

WASHINGTON, December 29 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) — Despite repeated Saudi assertions that the kingdom will not join war on Iraq or even be a launch-pad for such a war, an American newspaper Sunday, December 29, quoted senior Pentagon officials as claiming they had Saudi assurances of using its airspace, air bases and an important operations center in the event of a war on Iraq.

U.S. commanders say they have been given "private assurances" they will be allowed to run an air war against Iraq from a sophisticated command center at Prince Sultan Air Base outside Riyadh , reported the New York Times.

"Because of its nearness to Iraq and large, modern facilities like the Prince Sultan base, Saudi Arabia offers crucial advantages as a staging area for military operations," said the paper.

It noted that because of "uncertainty about Saudi cooperation, the Pentagon proceeded with plans to build an alternate air command post in Qatar , where the overall American command for Iraqi operations will be headquartered."

New York Times quoted Pentagon officials as saying that "allied refueling, reconnaissance, surveillance and cargo planes will be allowed to fly from Saudi bases, using Saudi airspace on the way to missions in or near Iraq ".

They are even confident that the Saudis will eventually "allow attack missions, which are more politically sensitive, to be flown from their soil."

According to the paper, "Saudi officials over the past two months have quietly permitted American warplanes based in the kingdom to bomb targets in southern Iraq ", adding that in the past "those missions were flown out of Kuwait ."

"I firmly believe the Saudis will give us all the cooperation we need, and every indication I have is we're getting pretty much what we've asked for," General John P. Jumper, the Air Force chief of staff, told the New York Times.

The paper said the Americans are asking the kingdom for "the use of Saudi ports and bases for small numbers of American and coalition ground troops".

"It's all an open question," said Senator Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee who traveled to Saudi Arabia this month.

According to Hagel, the broadest Saudi cooperation hinged on another United Nations Security Council resolution supporting the use of force to disarm Iraq.

"If we stay close to the U.N. and give countries like Saudi Arabia the political cover they need, yes," Hagel said in an interview with the New York Times.

"If the U.S. veers off course and moves toward a unilateral position with the Brits, then that puts those Arab governments in a very difficult spot."

During a recent visit to the Gulf, General Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, underlined that the Saudis have "been longtime strategic partners with the United States ."

The kingdom allowed U.S. to use Prince Sultan Air Base hi-tech command and control systems in the war against Afghanistan

The paper claimed that this new cooperation was part of Saudi efforts "to repair the damage in American-Saudi relations stemming in part from the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers in the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States were Saudis".

None of this particularly disturbs senior American military officials and diplomats, who say they are accustomed to dealing with Saudi sensitivities, and the often conflicting views of the royal family, in private.

"Publicly, we'll never have the Saudis throw a parade and celebrate what they're doing for us, but in the end, they will be there," said a senior military official.

The New York Times noted that the U.S. is stockpiling dozens of aircraft at bases in Gulf countries, including Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, negotiating with Ankara for use of several bases and planning to station B-2 stealth bombers at the British Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean.

But, according to the paper, "the modern facilities, excellent communications, abundant fuel and supplies, and proximity to Iraq make the Saudi bases among the most attractive to American commanders".

It quoted Pentagon officials as saying that relations with their Saudi military counterparts "had not suffered seriously from the political tensions in American-Saudi relations".

The New York Times quoted General Jumper as saying that "restrictions on American training missions have been loosened in recent months".

On Tuesday, December 24, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud reiterated the kingdom’s opposition to a threatened U.S.-led war against neighboring Iraq , saying it would not take part in any military action.

"If the U.N. Security Council sanctions war against Iraq , this requires cooperation by all countries."

"But this does not mean all countries must take part in military action. Obviously, we will not take part in military actions," Prince Saud stressed.

He said that allowing U.S. and British aircraft operating from Prince Sultan Air Base to enforce a so-called "no-fly" zone over southern Iraq "does not mean the kingdom will attack Iraq or will allow striking Iraq from its territories."

"There has been no change to the duties of foreign troops in the kingdom since after the end of the 1991 Gulf War," he said.

Saudi Arabia houses some 5,000 U.S. troops and several British and French jets at Prince Sultan Air Base in Al-Kharj, 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Riyadh .

The kingdom allowed the U.S. troops to use their hi-tech command and control systems in the war against Afghanistan .

In an interview with CNN on November 3, Prince Saudi stressed that the kingdom will not allow the United States to use its territory or airspace to attack Iraq even if the United Nations endorses military action.

"We will cooperate with the [UN] Security Council, but as to entering the conflict or using the facilities as part of the conflict, that's something else," Prince Saud said.