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Saudi Arabia calls Iraq war "illegitimate occupation"
munaeem | 28 March, 2007 23:45
One of America's closest Arab allies has attacked the war in Iraq as an "illegitimate foreign occupation." Speaking at the start of a summit of the Arab League in Riyadh, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia hit out at the Bush administration. He accused it of putting Iraq at risk of a civil war and trying to unilaterally write the future of the Middle-East.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia warned that unless Arab governments settled their differences, foreign powers like the United States would continue to dictate the region's politics.
The king's speech underscored growing differences between Saudi Arabia and the Bush administration as the Saudis take on a greater leadership role in the Middle East.
King Abdullah has not publicly spoken so harshly about the American-led military intervention in Iraq before, and his remarks suggest that his alliance with Washington may be less harmonious than administration officials have been hoping.
Saudi Arabia is America's richest and most powerful ally in the Arab world.
The country quietly aided the invasion of Iraq in 2003, allowing US cruise missiles to cross its air space and strike targets inside its neighbour.
But the kingdom is now playing a more assertive and independent role in Middle Eastern diplomacy. By criticising America, King Abdullah, 83, is trying to maximise his credibility in the Arab world.
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