Saudi Arabia on Monday played down the importance of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's speech that dubbed leaders from the kingdom and neighboring Kuwait "traitors", the official SPA news agency reported.
"We are used to such words. We tell the brotherly Iraqi people that Saudi Arabia has never fired a bullet against an Arab no matter what the circumstances," Defense Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdel Aziz said.
Asked whether a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting would be convened following Iraq's "threats", Prince Sultan said "they did not warrant such a move."
President Saddam Hussein on Tuesday described Kuwaiti and Saudi leaders as "traitors" for allowing US and British planes to bomb Iraq from their territories.
Kuwait, which was occupied by Iraq from August 1990 to February 1991, mobilized part of its army Thursday as a precautionary measure following the president's statements - RIYADH (AFP)
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