LONDON, Sept 16: Unexpected support from Saudi Arabia for a UN-sanctioned attack against Iraq heightened the pressure on Baghdad on Monday to comply with UN resolutions on weapons inspections and gave a boost to war-hungry Washington.

In a surprise shift of posture, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal indicated in a weekend interview that Saudi Arabia would allow the use of bases on its soil to attack Iraq. Saudi Arabia had previously agreed with other Arab allies to oppose an attack on Iraq.

Asked by CNN if Riyadh would allow the use of its bases for a campaign against Iraq, Prince Saud said: “If the United Nations takes a decision by the Security Council to implement a policy of the UN, every country that has signed the charter of the UN has to fulfil it.”

A senior Saudi official said on Monday it would back the United Nations-sanctioned action against Iraq, but not a unilateral US attack.

“Saudi Arabia rejects any unilateral attack that has no international cover,” a senior Saudi diplomatic official said.

“The shift is in the American position, not the Saudi position,” he added, referring to US attempts to lobby the UN Security Council against Iraq rather than act alone.

The remarks could bolster US-Saudi relations, under strain after the Sept 11 attacks.—Reuters