Saudi Arabia is "sure" the US will not make war on any Arab country in retaliation for the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington, the kingdom's defense minister said Wednesday.
"We are sure that the United States is not thinking of undertaking such an action," Defense Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz was quoted as saying by AFP after talks with US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who is on a Middle East tour to mobilize support for a US military campaign against terrorism.
But he added that Saudi Arabia "could not demand guarantees from the United States ... about any action it will undertake," he said at a news conference with Rumsfeld.
Prince Sultan said the United States made no requests to use bases in the kingdom in support of air strikes against Afghanistan's Taliban rulers.
"There were no such requests presented by the United States in the first place, and this matter was not a point of discussion between the two sides," he said, speaking through an interpreter.
According to Arab News, Rumsfeld had said earlier that he would not raise the issue of US military access to Saudi bases during the tour, which will also take him to Oman, Egypt and Uzbekistan.
Prince Sultan added that the United States "did not request our participation in any operations directed at any Arab or Muslim country," according to AFP.
The agency added that Prince Sultan did not raise any Saudi concerns about the possible US air strikes "because we do not feel that there are any specific strikes that are going to be taken against the Taliban."
"But at the same time, we believe we cannot ask for things that are beyond what we can ask for," he said.
Washington has not ruled out making Iraq, an Arab country, a target of its campaign, particularly if evidence surfaces linking it to Bin Laden's Al Qaeda network.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher also said earlier Wednesday that Cairo was "sure" the United States would not attack any Arab country in its crackdown on terrorism.
But US Secretary of State Colin Powell has hinted that Washington could target Iraq in a later phase of its anti-terror campaign.
Earlier this week, Jordan's King Abdullah declared, after a visit to the United States, that US President George W. Bush had assured him that the Unites States would not attack Iraq or any other Arab country, but the White House later denied that Bush had given such assurances.
When asked about his country's opinion of Israel participating in such a coalition, Prince Sultan said the Jewish state had not asked to join the proposed US-led coalition, according to AFP.
Arab News also said that Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah welcomed Bush's statement pledging Washington's support for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
"This US step will have a positive effect on the security and stability of the Middle East," Prince Abdullah was quoted as saying by the Arab News.
"We in the kingdom appreciate this move by [President Bush] to establish a just and comprehensive peace in the region. We will make all possible efforts to push the peace process to establish security and stability in the region and the world over."
Rumsfeld informed Saudi leaders of evidence held by the United States on Osama bin Laden's involvement in the September 11 terror attacks. He also told them that Washington intended to proceed "on all fronts" in its campaign against terrorism.
The US minister further said he had briefed King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah on President Bush's strong conviction of the need for a long-term effort against terrorist networks.
Rumsfeld left Saudi Arabia for Oman early on Thursday, his second leg in his Middle Eastern tour - Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
