RIYADH, Jan 23: The Saudi Chief of Staff Gen Saleh ibn Ali Al-Mohayya has denied the reports that Saudi Arabia has asked the US troops to leave the country.

“The reports that were carried in press in this regard are not correct,” Gen Mohayya told the Saudi daily Okaz. “There is no change in the (Saudi) policy of defence cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States, specially in the fields of programmes and training.”

The Saudi armed forces chief said some 5,000 Allied troops from the UK, France and the United States are stationed in the Kingdom with the sole purpose of enforcing a no-fly zone over southern Iraq as part of the US policy to contain the Iraqi regime.

“The purpose of the presence of these Allied forces in the Kingdom is to continuously monitor and enforce the no-fly zone in southern Iraq. Anything beyond this is untrue. There are no other purposes,” he said.

The remarks came amidst questions over the future of the US bases in Saudi Arabia after a US lawmaker said American troops might have to abandon the Prince Sultan Airbase, near Riyadh, due to restrictions on military personnel.

The Washington Post earlier quoted an unidentified Saudi official as saying that the United States had “overstayed its welcome” and its forces had become a political liability.’’

The report followed comments by Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, who said after a visit to the Kingdom; “I am left with a sort of an uneasy feeling that we’re in a place where we’re not particularly wanted. “The army might be able to find a place where “we’re much more welcome openly,” he added.

Commenting on the statement by Senator Levin, Gen Mohayya said: “This talk has been dealt with by the media and it is not accurately based.” A senior Western diplomat was quoted here saying that the issue of the US military presence in the Kingdom was not discussed.