October 17, 2002	Thursday	Sha'aban 10, 1423

RIYADH, Oct 16: Saudi Arabia will not provide any assistance to a possible US military offensive against Iraq, Saudi Defence Minister Prince Sultan said on Tuesday in comments published in Al-Hayat daily.

He also added that he did not believe that a US-led offensive against Iraq was “inevitable”.

Prince Sultan said “the Kingdom (of Saudi Arabia) has a special status in the Arab and the Muslim worlds, as it is home to the two holy mosques. It will not sacrifice this status for the sake of anyone.”

Prince Sultan, however, urged Baghdad “not to provide the opportunity to anyone to find the justification for launching a military offensive against Iraq”.

Iraq should leave its doors wide open for all international inspectors in order to foil any pretext for launching military strikes, the minister said. “Iraqi leaders should comply with and implement all the UN Security Council resolutions, including what might be issued in the future. Iraq should act in a responsible manner,” Prince Sultan emphasized.