Saudi Arabia appears to have shifted its position and
no longer rules out the prospect of cooperation in any U.S.-led war against
Iraq.
"We have not made a decision," Adel Al Jubeir, foreign policy adviser to
Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, told a news conference in Washington
on Tuesday. "And that's what it is. We have not made a decision one way or
another. We will not make a decision until the time comes and until we have
weighed all of the options. That's sort of where it stands. We need to see
what happens with the inspectors on the ground. We need to see how extensive
Iraqi cooperation is."
U.S. officials said Saudi officials have agreed to examine any U.S.
request to allow the kingdom's air space and bases for an attack on Iraq.
Until now, Riyad has refused to consider any participation
in a war against Iraq, Middle East Newsline reported.
Officials said a similar message was relayed to the Bush administration.
They said they did not know whether the message reflected a move toward
cooperating against Iraq or a way to ease U.S. pressure on Riyad.
"The Saudis are worried about American opinion although they still
believe that they can manage the administration," a U.S. government
consultant who deals with the Gulf area said. "They feel they can buy their
way out of this with a major PR campaign and vigorous lobbying."
Last month, the National Security Council reviewed means to pressure
Saudi Arabia to increase cooperation with the United States on a range of
issues, particularly against Al Qaida. One recommendation discussed was to
threaten Riyad with unspecified unilateral action within 90 days unless the
kingdom fully cooperated in the war against Al Qaida.
For his part, Al Jubeir, sent to the United States to lead the PR
campaign, said the kingdom plans to increase cooperation with the United
States against Al Qaida. He said the two countries would increase visits
over the next few months and examine Saudi nationals accused by the United
States of funding Al Qaida. He also cited a Saudi report that asserted that
Riyad had broken up three Al Qaida cells and froze 33 accounts totaling more
than $5.5 million.
Al Jubeir also said Saudi Arabia does not support the transfer of funds
to Islamic insurgency groups in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. He said the
kingdom has tried since 1992 to halt aid to Islamic insurgency attacks
against Israel.
"On the issue of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Saudi Arabia's position as a
government has been very clear: We have tried since for the last 10 years to
cut off funding to Hamas," Al Jubeir said. "But that does not mean cutting
off funding to Palestinians in the territories. Building hospitals, building
roads, building schools, buying pharmaceuticals, buying food, yes; but to
have money go towards violence is something that we have tried to work on
and will continue to work on."
State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said the United States and
Saudi Arabia will meet in Wasington in early January to discuss cooperation
against terrorism. The head of the U.S. delegation will be State Department
counterterrorism coordinator Cofer Black.
"We believe that this will further improve and formalize our cooperation
in countering terrorism," Reeker said. "It's a working group that will serve
as the primary mechanism in our continuing coordination of
joint activities, as well as the exchange of information and the setting of
mutual priorities in the battle against terrorism."
