October 15, 2002	Tuesday	Sha'aban 8, 1423

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TIARET (Algeria), Oct 14: Saudi Arabia will not take part in a possible military intervention in Iraq, whether it is launched solely by the United States or has the backing of the United Nations, the country’s foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, said on Monday.

Speaking on the second day of talks in Algeria on problems facing the Middle East, Prince Saud said that even official support from the United Na-tions Security Council would not change the kingdom’s decision not to participate in an attack.

Approval by the UNSC would “oblige all signatories of the (UN) charter to help the security council in its mission, but there is no doubt — on no country can it impose participation in a possible operation,” he said.

The priority for Saudi Arabia, Washington’s main ally in the Gulf, was now “to protect Iraq against possible strikes,” the diplomatic chief said.—AFP