No Saudi forces to Iraq outside Arab consent and legitimacy

Saudi Arabia's ministry of defense yesterday denied that Riyadh has intention to send forces to Iraq without the request of a "legitimate" Iraqi government and "a common Arab approval," in reply to information published by certain media by the end of the week.

A source at the ministry said that what was stated by the London- based al-Quds daily and quoted by al-Jazeera TV on that the commander of parachutists contingent in the Saudi army Maj. Gen. Sultan al-Nufei received "an order from the Saudi army to move towards Iraq, and towards al-Falouja city in particular, which is considered one of the major resistance sites in Iraq against the American occupation, is baseless."

The source blamed the two mass media of for the reports daying "Saudi Arabia will not send forces to Iraq, except at the request of a legitimate Iraqi government and in the framework of the UN and under a common Arab understanding."

The news said that the contingent which Maj. Gen Sultan will lead to Iraq "will replace the former contingent which used to guard the Saudi field hospital which gives medical and humanitarian aid to the Iraqis in Baghdad and will not have any other activity beyond that."