|
||||||||
  |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Saudis a wild card in U.S. plans for Iraq
From Barbara Starr (CNN Washington Bureau)
(CNN) -- As U.S. war planners consider possible military action against Iraq, their blueprints partly hinge on the logistical support of Saudi Arabia -- a country that has backed past U.S. military action in the region but may be more reluctant this time around. Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan air base is the centerpiece of U.S.-Saudi military relations. It is home to 5,000 U.S. Air Force personnel and some 100 U.S. and coalition aircraft. Prince Sultan also houses the critical air operations center, which is used to run U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and would be needed for any action in Iraq. F-15s and F-16s based at Prince Sultan conduct regular patrols in the no-fly zone over southern Iraq, supported by AWACS and RC-135 surveillance aircraft. But so far, Saudi Arabia has only allowed those planes to fly patrols under the no-fly zone rules and has not given permission for the United States to use its territory to launch attacks against Iraq. For war planners at the Pentagon, the question is how much the United States needs access to Saudi military bases for a war against Iraq. Can there even be a war without Saudi support? "It's very important to have Saudi air space, and it would be even better if we had access to those air fields," said retired Gen. Wesley Clark, the former NATO commander. "We can cope without using Saudi Arabia," said retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. David Grange, a CNN military analyst. "I think once the war starts, Saudi Arabia will change its mind and support us on the use of air fields and terrain." The official Saudi government line is that it will support whatever resolutions are passed by the United Nations. Senior Pentagon officials believe they will have full access to Prince Sultan and other air bases, if necessary. The Saudi position is different now from its policy during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, when the kingdom felt threatened by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and welcomed nearly 500,000 U.S. troops onto its soil. "I believe that no government in the world supports the policy of regime change anywhere," said Adel Al Jubeir, a Saudi foreign policy adviser. "There is no sanction for it in international law. There is no basis for it." Military officials say the United States is prepared for alternatives if the Saudis balk. In nearby Qatar, the U.S. military is expanding its operations to Al U-Dayd air base and installing a backup air operations center. And U.S. Central Command is temporarily moving its headquarters to Qatar.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
