New US military operations are expected against Iraq

King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz and Saudi crown prince have asserted Riyadh's non-intervention in the internal affairs of "others," in reference to Iraq.

Arab Gulf diplomats in Riyadh asserted on Sunday that Saudi Arabia will not attend a summit in which Iraq takes part, whereas Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Sunday reiterated his invitation for convening an Arab summit. In a speech he will deliver today, the Yemeni President will explain that the work agenda of the said summit will not be confined to the issue on Iraq, rather "Inter-Arab reconciliation following disputes since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990."

On the eve of his return to Baghdad on Sunday night, former Iraqi representative at the United Nations Nizar Hamdoun expected the UN Security Council to be "lifeless" due to the US position, and he did not rule out Washington "resorting to the use of force next week and launching further military strikes."

On the other hand, in a joint message to the Saudis and Muslims on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, the Saudi King and crown prince said that, "Saudi Arabia pursues a clear policy towards Arab and Islamic solidarity."

The message, read by Saudi Minister of Information Fuad al-Farisi on Saudi television, said that Riyadh stresses the "non-intervention of others in its own internal affairs and all which violate her national sovereignty."