-Caveat Lector- Print this article | Close this window Saudis tell Bush: take a breather, give UN another try
March 24 2003 Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al Faisal, has urged the United States to "have a breather" in its invasion of Iraq and give the United Nations another chance to disarm the country peacefully. "Stop the war, let's sit down, let's have a breather after what we have seen of the destruction," Prince Saud told Western journalists in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. The 61-year-old prince also called on Saddam Hussein to "start to think of the sacrifices he can make for his country", implying that the Iraqi leader should seek exile rather than see his country destroyed. While Saudi Arabia has not offered sanctuary to Saddam, Prince Saud said the Iraqi leader and his family would be allowed safe passage through the kingdom to reach a third country. Neighbouring Bahrain has offered to shelter Saddam. Saudi Arabia has been a vocal critic of Washington's war plans since they were first discussed a year ago. Like many countries in the region, it fears the conflict could destabilise its own society, which is struggling with a volatile mix of high unemployment and religious extremism among its youth. Saudi Arabia's position is particularly sensitive because the US Air Force commander in charge of the bombing campaign in Iraq is stationed at a Saudi Air Force base just south of the capital - a fact not discussed by the local press or widely known to Saudi citizens. Prince Saud condemned the invasion's aim of destroying the Iraqi Government as "outside of the framework of international legality", and warned that rebuilding what has been destroyed will be a dangerous, difficult task. "Bringing it back again is going to be a job I don't envy those who are going to be handed it," he said. He said he was worried about talk of a military occupation government, and that he doubted the ability of US and British officials to finesse the web of tribal and ethnic relationships that any government in Iraq must handle to maintain peace. "We don't think that is advisable at all," the prince said. "The government we would like to see in Iraq after the war is the government that is formed by the Iraqi people." He called on the UN Security Council to take up the Iraq issue again without delay, both to try and stop the fighting and to decide how to manage Iraq after the conflict. "It just seems to me it will be a very tough situation to handle unless the United Nations comes to the fore in this and gets whoever is there from the present government to co-operate with them for the process of what they call democratisation," he said. The Saudi Government has said it will not send troops to Iraq, but the prince said it would consider contributing peacekeeping forces if asked by the United Nations and Iraq. Prince Saud also repeated his Government's long-standing plea for the US to help solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, "which has been at the heart of the problems and the troubles in the region". "If there is stability, if there is peace in the Middle East, that is the way that will bring about a democratisation and an opening of society," the prince said, "not through war." The New York Times This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/03/23/1048354475569.html Forwarded for your information. 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