RIYADH, Nov 4: Saudi Arabia has sent yet another strong message to the United States that it will not allow the use of its military facilities in threatened US strikes against Iraq.

Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said on Sunday Riyadh would not allow Washington to use its territory or airspace to attack Iraq even if the United Nations were to endorse military action.

“We will cooperate with the (UN) Security Council, but as to entering the conflict or using the facilities as part of the conflict, that’s something else,” Prince Saud told CNN in an interview.

“Saudi Arabia and the United States have strategic relations ... based on mutual interests. In this case, Riyadh does not see any interest in attacking Iraq,” said Anwar Eshki, head of the Jeddah-based Middle East Centre for Strategic and Legal Studies.

“The kingdom believes that a war against Iraq serves American interests alone and puts the Iraqi people at risk. For this reason, the kingdom is adamant it will not participate,” Eshki said.

Riyadh has repeatedly refused to cooperate with Washington in its plans to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein because the Saudis are worried about US occupation of its Arab neighbour.

“History tells us that whatever change you believe you can bring to the country that you occupy, you can never make a permanent change through occupation by a foreign force in the country,” Prince Saud said.

“Iraq is not Japan. Saddam Hussein is not the emperor Hirohito,” he said, referring to World War II.

Eshki said that even though Saddam might be oppressing the Iraqi people and might not be a good leader, Saudi Arabia does not want to see a foreign power changing a neighbouring regime.

“Changing the regime in Baghdad is not our business, and the kingdom will not agree that it is changed by a foreign power, even if that was the United States.

“Overthrowing Saddam will create a very dangerous precedent and will lead to major political turmoil in the region and other parts of the world,” Eshki warned.

Saudi Arabia, which is home to around 6,000 US troops, has warned of a human tragedy if Washington attacks Baghdad, and has called for resolving the crisis through diplomacy.

“We think it is feasible. Iraq has made a very clear and unambiguous promise to the Arab countries that it will abide by the United Nations resolutions and so we think the road is set for that,” Prince Saud said.

Saudi Arabia, along with the other five members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), has called on Iraq to heed any new UN resolution on disarmament.

“I hope Iraq will honour (any) new UN resolution,” GCC Secretary General Abdulrahman al-Attiya said in Muscat.

“I would like diplomatic efforts to succeed instead of any chance for an attack,” Attiya said.—AFP