Saudi Arabia hints it will let Americans launch attack from Prince Sultan base

The Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, indicated yesterday that the kingdom would allow the US to strike Iraq from Saudi bases.

In an apparent shift of policy, he also urged Iraq to move quickly to allow the return of UN weapons inspectors to ward off such an attack.

He had made it clear last month that the Prince Sultan air base near Riyadh, which hosts most of the 5,000 US troops in Saudi Arabia, would be off limits for the launch of any US military action against Saddam Hussein.But he appeared to relax that opposition in an interview with CNN yesterday when asked if Saudi bases would be available. "Everybody is obliged to follow through" he said.

In an interview in Al-Hayat, the London-based Arabic newspaper, the Prince urged Iraq to admit UN weapons inspectors before a new Security Council resolution cleared the way for an attack if it refused. "Timing is important, and allowing inspectors back before a Security Council resolution to that effect would be in Iraq's favour," he said.

"We are afraid that [a refusal] would harm the Iraqi people and increase their burden. We are worried about Iraq's unity, stability and independence," the Prince said. In a separate interview with the BBC, he said Iraq could "finish the crisis" by inviting weapons inspectors in. The Iraqi people would be spared "great hardships".

Some 20 Arab foreign ministers of countries which make up the Arab League met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly at the weekend and also delivered a message calculated to step up the pressure on Baghdad over weapons inspections.

"We said loudly and clearly that we are for the integrity of Iraq, for the stability of Iraq as well as for the full implementation of all the resolutions regarding Iraq," said the Lebanese Foreign Minister, Mahmoud Hammoud. "We would like to see the observers going back to Iraq and with them will come peace for the Iraqi people and stability for Iraq. We are hoping to reach an arrangement for everybody and for peace in general."

The Egyptian Foreign Minister, Ahmed Maher, said he stressed to Iraq's Foreign Minister, Naji Sabri, that the Arab League wanted the inspectors back and that he should consult Baghdad and get a decision. "It was a unanimous position taken by everybody, appealing to the Iraqis to convey to the secretary general [Kofi Annan] as soon as possible for the decision for the inspectors to return," he said.