US, Saudi Arabia discuss possible Arab force for Iraq

The United States and Saudi Arabia are discussing a possible formation of a Muslim or Arab force to be dispatched to Iraq for strengthening security there, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said.

The foreign minister told a joint news conference on Wednesday in the Red Sea city of Jeddah with visiting US Secretary of State Colin Powell, while asked about the prospect of dispatching Arab or Muslim troops to war-torn Iraq.

"We had preliminary discussions, and we will be having further discussions later on," Faisal said, but giving no details about who might contribute or what conditions might be attached.

Powell declined to comment on the issue. But a senior US official said Washington is interested in the proposal, adding that any Muslim troops that go to Iraq would serve as a supplementto the US-led coalition force.

According to Saudi officials, it was Saudi Arabia that made theproposal.

The move could give the US-led coalition new support while someof the US allies are pulling their troops and aid personnel out ofIraq.

The proposal, as described by US and Saudi officials, could involve contributions of troops from across the Muslim world but not from Iraq's neighbors, which Iraqi officials have said they are not welcome.

A senior Saudi official said Riyadh had already discussed the idea with countries that might contribute troops, with Iraqi officials and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He said a UN mandate, from existing resolutions or a new resolution, would be needed.

Currently, there are about 160,000 foreign troops in Iraq, roughly 140,000 of them from the United States. No Arab nations join the US-led coalition.

Saudi officials said Riyadh put forward the idea because of thedesire among Arab nations to help Iraq.

Washington said it welcomes the idea but wants more details from Saudi Arabia.

"The goal that they have is to help the Iraqis establish security. It's a goal we support and we'll keep talking to them about it," US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters.

Powell arrived in the kingdom earlier Wednesday as part of his Middle East and European tour, which has taken him to Hungary and Egypt and will also lead him to Kuwait and Poland.

Powell met Saudi King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah later in the day. He was also scheduled to meet visiting interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi in Jeddah Thursday.

Fahd and Powell discussed bilateral relations and the latest developments in the Middle East, especially the Palestinian and Iraqi issues and efforts to put the Mideast peace process back on track, the Saudi News Agency said.

The two leaders said their countries are keen to maintain Iraq's territorial integrity, political independence and stability.

On the same day, Allawi announced that Iraq and Saudi Arabia have agreed to resume their diplomatic ties that were suspended inthe wake of the 1991 Gulf War.

"We have agreed to open up embassies between Saudi Arabia and Iraq" from Wednesday, Allawi told reporters.

Source: Xinhua