Britain withdraws its forces from Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia-UK, Politics, 5/17/2003

It was announced in London on Friday that the British government has actually pulled out is forces from Saudi Arabia.

The BBC announced the UK had withdrawn its air forces from its bases in Saudi Arabia within a fundamental plan to re-evaluate the deployment of its forces in the region.

The BBC quoted British defense forces as saying that this step was basically taken in April before the terrorist explosions in Riyadh.

Britain and the US had placed air military bases in Saudi Arabia to impose a "no fly zone" over southern Iraq for more than one decade.

The US defense secretary said by the end of April that the American army will end its permanent presence in Saudi Arabia.

The fleets of the warplanes which affiliates to the British royal force returned back home in April.

Riyadh stressed on behalf of senior Saudi officials that the existence of the western forces in Prince Sultan Air Base situated to the south of Riyadh came as a result of the air monitoring carried out by these forces over the Iraqi territories as a result of the UN resolutions to this effect.

These officials said that after the end of the regime of the Iraqi President there is no need for these forces to be on the Saudi territories.

Previous Stories:
  London recommends its citizens not to head for Saudi Arabia   (5/14/2003)
  Saudi FM confers with Blair, fears over Iraq's unity   (5/13/2003)
  Al-Quds al-Arabi: Britain and the new Saudi ambassador   (12/3/2002)

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