Agence France Presse, RIYADH – Saudi Arabia’s crown prince called in remarks published Saturday for US-led coalition forces to review their aims in Iraq and for some of the country’s neighbors to stop backing religious communities, in an apparent reference to Iran.
"Coalition forces in Iraq must review the goals of their presence and the strategies of their remaining" there, Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz told the Saudi-owned pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat in an interview.
"The question that must be asked is: what did these forces achieve since entering Iraqi territory? And did the strategy applied by these forces achieve anything positive?" he said.
In an apparent reference to Iran’s perceived support for Iraq’s majority Shiites, the crown prince of the Sunni-dominated oil-rich kingdom urged "some neighboring countries" to "stop backing sects and (political) currents inside Iraq."
War-torn Iraq "should not serve as a bargaining chip to achieve political objectives," Sultan said.
He said Saudi Arabia had consistently refrained from meddling in Iraq’s internal affairs and warned of the dangers of outside interference.
"Being against the policy of interference, the kingdom did not, and will not, interfere in internal Iraqi affairs, giving its people a chance to find ways out of the current crisis," Sultan said.
Saudi Arabia, a US ally, last month denied persistent reports that it might step in to bankroll Iraq’s Sunnis against Iran-backed Shiites should US troops pull out swiftly and leave a raging civil war in the country.
"We have warned and continue (to warn) against calls made every now and then for the partition of Iraq under the pretext of (securing) the rights of sects or the freedom of minorities," Sultan told Asharq Al-Awsat.
US President George W. Bush has embarked on a sweeping overhaul of the US diplomatic and military leadership in Iraq as he prepares to unveil a new plan to deal with the mayhem in the country.
