Iran and Saudi Say Oppose Any U.S. Attack on Iraq

Sat Aug 3, 7:52 AM ET

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal arrived in Iran on a one-day visit on Saturday as the two former foes said they opposed any possible U.S. military attack on their common neighbor Iraq.

Prince Saud told reporters at Tehran's airport that he would deliver a written message from Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to President Mohammad Khatami at a meeting later on Saturday.

"We have a common position with Iran," Iran's state television quoted Prince Saud as saying. "We oppose any military attack against Islamic and regional countries and we are both opposed to any American military attack against Iraq."

The United States is debating an attack on Iraq to topple President Saddam Hussein, seen as a threat due to his alleged efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction.

Prince Saud also welcomed Iraq's offer on Thursday for the chief U.N. weapons inspector, barred since 1998, to return to Baghdad for technical talks.

"The return of U.N. weapons inspectors is the most appropriate way to ensure the safety of Iraq and its people," the state-run Saudi Press Agency quoted him as saying.

Iran, which fought a 1980-88 war with Iraq, has repeatedly urged Baghdad to meet U.N. demands and eliminate any weapons of mass destruction.

Unlike Iran, Saudi Arabia is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East, but the conservative kingdom fears an attack on Iraq would bring instability to the volatile oil-rich region.

Iran fears an attack to oust Saddam would set a precedent for the U.S. superpower to use force to remove any government it dislikes.

The Islamic republic has been placed, along with Iraq and North Korea, in President Bush's so-called "axis of evil" and some U.S. officials have called for a change of regime in Tehran.

Relations between major oil producers Iran and Saudi Arabia have improved since the 1997 election of moderate Khatami, after nearly two decades of political and ideological tensions.