Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia will not send peacekeeping forces to Iraq even as part of a UN-mandated peacekeeping force, according to Prince Khaled in Sultan, the deputy defence minister, writes Michael Jansen
He told the Okaz daily: "The presence of Saudi forces in Iraq would not be in the interests of either country." He said the kingdom was "not thinking" of deploying troops even under a Security Council resolution authorising such a force.
Prince Khaled, a general who commanded the Arab and Islamic forces in the 1991 Gulf war, expressed opposition to the deployment of troops by any of Iraq's neighbours.
"As a professional military man and an expert in heading joint troops, I say there is no benefit in having troops from neighbouring countries in Iraq."
The Saudi stance mirrors the position adopted by the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Mr Hoshyr Zebari, who said that peacekeeping troops should not be deployed from neighbouring countries "which have their own agendas" in his country.
Mr Zebari, a Kurd, is particularly concerned about the US drive to recruit thousands of Turkish troops for a multinational stabilisation force for Iraq.
Turkey's Kurds have been battling the Turkish military for nearly 20 years to achieve ethnic and cultural recognition.
Other Arabs have made contradictory statements, revealing a lack of co-ordination.
Last week Syria said it would consider sending peacekeeping forces to Iraq if a deadline was set for US withdrawal and the UN assumed responsibility for security and reconstruction. However, the Arab League Secretary-General, Mr Amr Moussa, said that Arab states would not send forces to Iraq to "defend occupation troops".
"If any Arab country is considering sending troops, this will be after they get a request from those concerned, the Iraqis. We care about Iraq, not the occupation."
Meanwhile, the Syrian Foreign Minister, Mr Farouk al-Sharaa, has described the proposal of the US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, for a new Iraqi constitution within six months, as a positive development. "I think this is the first clear state of good intentions," he said.
He said the linkage with the constitution, elections and US withdrawal "defines a process of logical sequence to end the occupation. It is a good course if it proves authentic and implemented on the ground."