During a press conference held on Saturday, Saudi Arabia’s Interior Minister Prince Naif stated that the Kingdom would oppose any US military strike against Iraq, as part of Washington’s war against terrorism. “The Kingdom is against resolving disputes through wars. We will not under any circumstance support any war against any Arab country.”
Referring to reports that the American administration had sought the Kingdom’s permission to monitor the Haj in an effort to ward off any likely mischief by the Al-Qaeda organization, Prince Naif said: “Nobody will dare make such a request.” “We have taken enough precautions for all eventualities during the Haj. Our hope is that all Muslims will honor the sanctity of this important event. But if anything goes wrong, God forbid, we are prepared to confront it,” he warned.
According to Arab News daily, the interior minister blasted the anti-Saudi smear campaigns launched by US media. “The Kingdom will go ahead with its development programs, ignoring such campaigns,” he added.
Prince Naif said the government would not allow any demonstrations or marches during the Haj. "We hope our Iranian brothers will not engage in such activities and cooperate with Saudi authorities," he commented. (Albawaba.com)
