RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia pledged Sunday to support a U.S.-led coalition against ``terrorism,'' but insisted it would not allow foreign forces to launch attacks against fellow Muslim Afghanistan from its territory.
``This is out of the question and no one has discussed anything of this sort with it (Saudi Arabia),'' Interior Minister Prince Nayef told a news conference. (Read photo caption below)
He did not rule out the possibility that Saudi Arabia might allow America to use its airspace or territorial waters for some other purpose in the upcoming campaign.
Saudi Arabia, one of three countries that had diplomatic ties with Afghanistan's ruling Taliban, severed those links when the Taliban refused to hand over Osama bin Laden.
Bin Laden has denied involvement.
Prince Nayef's remarks followed local press reports quoting Defense Minister Prince Sultan as ruling out foreign attacks on Taliban positions from Saudi bases.
``We do not accept the presence in our country of a single soldier at war with Muslims or Arabs,'' Sunday's Arabic-language newspaper Okaz quoted Prince Sultan as saying.
DIFFERENT THAN GULF WAR
Prince Sultan said the situation now was different from 1990-1991, when Saudi Arabia was a launch pad for the U.S.-led military coalition that ended Iraq's occupation of Kuwait.
Okaz quoted Prince Sultan as saying that 40 French, British and U.S. aircraft were in the kingdom to monitor southern Iraq, under a U.N. Security Council decision following the Gulf War.
Asked if the United States had officially informed Saudi Arabia that its nationals were involved on September 11, he said: ``We have heard that there were Saudis involved. We do not confirm that or deny it...We have no proof that any Saudi inside the kingdom had been involved.''
PHOTO CAPTION:
Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef, who is in charge of Saudi internal security, gestures during a press conference in Riyadh, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2001. Prince Nayef said there is no proof yet that Saudi citizens were involved in the Sept. 11 attacks in America. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)