Saudi King Refuses to Host Attack on Iraq

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi King Fahd told Defense Secretary William S. Cohen on Tuesday that he will not let his country be used as a “springboard” for attacks on Iraq, a Saudi official said.

The king’s refusal could set back U.S. efforts to pressure Iraq into cooperating with U.N. weapons inspectors. Saudi Arabia served as the main base for U.S. military operations during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, which ousted Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

Iraq announced Saturday that it was suspending cooperation, citing the refusal of the United Nations to lift sanctions imposed after Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990. The sanctions cannot be lifted until U.N. inspectors certify that Iraq has destroyed its weapons of mass destruction.

Cohen met earlier Tuesday with British Defense Secretary George Robertson in London. The two officials agreed “it is crucial that Saddam Hussein reverse” his stand on weapons inspections, according to White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart.