Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East, said Sunday it would not allow the United States to use facilities in the country to attack neighboring Iraq, even if a strike was sanctioned by the United Nations. "We will abide by the decision of the United Nations Security Council and we will cooperate with the Security Council. But as to entering the conflict or using facilities ... that is something else," Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said.

"Our policy is that if the United Nations takes a decision on Chapter 7, it is obligatory on all signatories to cooperate but that is not to the extent of using facilities in the country or the military forces of the country," he told CNN.

Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter makes it mandatory for member states to implement any measure immediately as part of international law.

The remarks were the strongest rejection by Saudi Arabia -- which was a launchpad for the U.S.-led 1991 Gulf War that drove Iraqi troops out of Kuwait after a seven-month occupation -- of any assistance to a possible U.S. attack on Iraq.

The rejection comes in the midst of strained relations between the strategic allies over last year's Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, in which 15 of the 19 men believed to be the suicide attackers were Saudis, and Saudi anger at what it sees as U.S. bias toward Israel in the Middle East conflict.

Saud said there was no crisis in ties between the U.S. and the kingdom, the largest oil exporter to the United States.
Washington could launch an attack on Iraq without using bases inside Saudi Arabia, but the air campaign would be more difficult if it could not use Saudi air space.

Mary Matalin, counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney, told CNN's "Late Edition" program following Saud's comments that the United States had many other allies it could depend on.

Asked if Saud's comments marked a serious military setback to any U.S.-led effort against Iraq, she said: "We have many friends and allies in the region and we have many friends and allies around the world ... We would never engage unless we were sure that we could get the job done well."

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters aboard Air Force One as President Bush flew to Illinois on a domestic political trip: "I don't talk about operational issues or basing issues" and declined further comment.

APPARENT SHIFT IN SAUDI POSITION

Prince Saud has in the past indicated the United States could use bases in Saudi Arabia for an attack on Iraq if it was sanctioned by the United Nations. It was not clear what prompted the apparent shift in the Saudi position.

Faced with Riyadh's possible refusal to be a launch pad for strikes on Iraq, the United States has spent DLRS. 1.4 billion to expand Qatar's Al Udeid facility into a major air base and military staging ground.

Washington has several Gulf bases, mainly in Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and Qatar is increasingly becoming a key base for U.S. military operations in the region. The U.S. used Udeid base last year after Riyadh refused to let U.S. planes and troops heading to Afghanistan use its Prince Sultan base.

Gulf power Saudi Arabia and its tiny neighbor Qatar are currently locked in a diplomatic row over several issues, including Doha's decision to allow U.S. access to Udeid base.

Western diplomats say Riyadh, which recalled its ambassador from Doha in September, was incensed at what it saw as Qatar's efforts to present itself as Washington's main regional ally, a role Saudi Arabia has had for decades.

Saud told CNN the kingdom wanted a political resolution to the Iraq crisis and that Baghdad had made a "very clear and unambiguous promise" to Arab states that it would abide by U.N. resolutions. "We think the road is set for that."

Washington wants to end Baghdad's alleged pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and has threatened military action.

The United Nations is seeking a resolution to allow U.N. weapons inspectors back into Iraq after a four-year absence.

Iraq denies U.S. weapons charges and has agreed to the return of arms inspectors.

"Saudi Arabia's position is a position to support the political settlement of this issue because we think it is feasible," Saud said.

The oil-rich Gulf region is bristling with U.S. troops and weaponry, Saudi Arabia alone has 5,000 U.S. troops, and Washington has said it would require regional military help for any offensive against Iraq.

Saud said the Iraqi people should decide the fate of their president and warned against a long-term U.S. military presence in Iraq in the event of an attack. "You can never make a permanent change through occupation by foreign forces," he said.

PHOTO CAPTION

Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East, said Sunday, Nov, 3, 2002, it would not allow the United States to use facilities in the country to attack neighboring Iraq, even if a strike was sanctioned by the United Nations