Saudis Make Peace Plan for Iraq, U.S.
March 25, 2003 05:22 PM EST 

Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal,
seen in this Jan. 28, 2003 file photo, 
told reporters  Tuesday, March 25, 
2003, that his kingdom has contacted
the United States and Iraq with a 
peace proposal. He said he was 
awaiting a response. 
(AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)		 RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia's foreign minister announced Tuesday that his kingdom made a peace proposal to Iraq and the United States, pledging to "knock on all doors" to get it heard. 

Prince Saud's announcement mystified both Washington and Baghdad. And the prince was unclear about whether the initiative was new. "This is a call that we announced several times and we hope that we can get an echo from the antagonists in this regard," he said, refusing to offer details. 

He urged both sides not to let pride push them to continue a war "that is going to breed nothing but hate between our two peoples." 

"We'll be knocking on all doors to bring peace," Saud said at a news conference. "It's too important to leave to just the gods of war to determine where this thing ends." 

In Washington, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said "we are not aware of any peace proposal from Saudi Arabia." 

Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Al-Sahhaf declined to comment in a telephone interview with the Arab satellite television network Al-Jazeera, but added, "I think what this man said is baseless." 

The kingdom's calls for an end to the fighting come even as Saudi Arabia has quietly been aiding the U.S. war effort, a position that carries the risk of an extremist backlash, especially if the war drags and Iraqi casualties mount.
Weeks ago, Saudi officials discreetly floated the idea that Saddam Hussein should go into exile. It also presented to major Western powers the idea of offering amnesty to all but the tight circle around Saddam in the hopes that senior generals would overthrow him. 

Just like almost everywhere else in the Arab world, anti-war and anti-U.S. sentiments are simmering among Saudi citizens, fueled by images of dead Iraqis on satellite channels. 

Asked whether his country has been in direct contact with the United States and Iraq in an effort to end the war, Saud said: "We have made the proposal and we are waiting for a positive response. We were not rebuffed, but neither were we given authorization that they're going with it." 

He insisted the issue has "to be handled by the U.N. and this is the only organization in which (it) can be discussed." 

Saud's announcement came a day after an Arab League meeting made it clear there will be no united Arab stance on Iraq. 

Turki al-Sudeiri, editor of Al Riyadh daily, said the divisions at the Arab League meant Saudi Arabia had to act alone. 

"If there's no one else on board, it doesn't mean that Saudi Arabia will give up," al-Sudeiri said. 

Saud said the unexpected setbacks in the fighting have made it clear the war would not be a "walkover." 

"Both sides know now what this war is going to bring them," he said. "Perhaps this is a good time instead of continuing on the line that will only add to the boiling situation in the Middle East and create hatreds that perhaps will remain for a long time, that this is a good time to stop, take a breather, see what diplomacy can bring about. 

"It behooves everybody ... to let the truth sink in to see what each side can (do) to sacrifice for peace instead of sacrifice for war," Saud added. 

Saudi Arabia hosted the U.S.-led coalition that expelled Iraq from Kuwait in the 1991 Gulf War. At that time, the kingdom was under direct threat from the Iraqis, who were moving south toward Saudi Arabia. 

After that war ended, thousands of U.S. troops, now housed at the Prince Sultan air base outside Riyadh, stayed to monitor the no-fly zone established in southern Iraq to protect the country's Shiite Muslims from Saddam's troops. 

The American's high-profile presence roused the anger of Muslim militants and gave a pretext for Saudi-born Osama bin Laden to go after the ruling royal family and the United States. 

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, carried out by 19 followers of bin Laden, including 15 Saudis, dozens of al-Qaida sympathizers have been arrested in the kingdom and a few Westerners have been attacked. The attacks have strained the decades-old Saudi-U.S. alliance. 

In the lead-up to the war on Iraq, thousands of U.S. troops were deployed near the Saudi border with Iraq and in a garrison town in the north. More have been deployed at Prince Sultan. 

Also, more than 3,000 Saudi soldiers are in Kuwait as part of Peninsula Shield, to protect Kuwait from a possible Iraqi attack.