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Politics : Attack Iraq? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: KLP who wrote (1057)	9/14/2002 2:03:44 AM
From: JEB	Respond to of 8683

Saudi Arabia: Policy Shift Concerning Attack on Iraq? 12 September 2002 Summary Saudi Arabia may be subtly shifting its stance concerning a U.S.-led attack on Iraq. If so, even tacit political backing by Riyadh would make U.S. military operations in the Persian Gulf considerably easier. Analysis London's Daily Telegraph reported Sept. 6 that U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons and British Royal Air Force Tornado F3s based in Saudi Arabia provided air cover during a bombing mission against Iraq. Although the mission itself was widely reported, the claim that the aircraft departed from Saudi Arabia has not been picked up elsewhere, and officials have neither confirmed nor denied that claim. If true, the use of Saudi-stationed aircraft to support bombing missions against Iraq would signal a dramatic shift in Saudi policy. Riyadh has refused to allow U.S. planes based in the kingdom to conduct bombing raids against Iraq, or even, as the Washington Post reported in January, to transit Saudi airspace en route to or from Iraq. The government has staunchly opposed a U.S. war against its neighbor, yet it has been curiously silent in recent days -- even while the United States reportedly is building up troops and equipment in the region. Washington repeatedly has declared its intention to remove Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from power. Doing so would be considerably easier with political and logistical support from other Persian Gulf states and especially from political heavyweight Saudi Arabia. stratfor.com