Saudi Arabia says Iraq violated border

By Michael Littlejohns in New York Published: June 4 2001 22:23GMT | Last Updated: June 4 2001 22:27GMT

Saudi Arabia has accused Iraq of persistent military forays across their common border and, in a letter made public on Monday, urged the United Nations Security Council to take "appropriate" measures.

Fawzi Shobokshi, the Saudi delegate, reported at least 10 border violations going back to mid-March, which he said were first believed to be isolated incidents but had now developed a "certain continuity". He warned of "grave consequences" if the violations were not halted.

The charges added a new element to the council's difficulties as it struggles to formulate a new sanctions regime, despite Iraqi defiance and the weekend decision to halt oil exports.

Anwarul Chowdury, the delegate of Bangladesh who is the Council's current president, voiced optimism publicly on Monday that the five permanent members - the US, UK, France, Russia and China - would reach a consensus within a month, but privately he is thought to be more guarded.

Some officials said they felt a deadline of July 3 set by the Council when it extended the oil-for-food programme for one month instead of the customary half-year was unrealistic.

The most difficult issue, they said, was a list of items Baghdad could import under the proposed new rules that have both military and civilian uses including, for example, fibre optic cable.

With implied UK support, the US has prepared a severely restricted list that the other permanent members want relaxed in order to renew the programme for a longer period.

In the Saudi complaint, an Iraqi patrol is alleged to have penetrated more than 400 yards inside Saudi territory on May 23 and fired on a frontier post in the Uwayqilah sector. In an exchange of fire, a number of Saudi soldiers are said to have been wounded and an Iraqi soldier, abandoned by his colleagues when they withdrew, died later in a local hospital.

The Security Council has scheduled private meetings for most of Thursday to discuss the proposed sanctions regime in addition to intensive bilateral negotiations which were resumed as soon as the one-month stop-gap resolution was approved.

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-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), June 04, 2001

Answers

Oh, boy, don't we have enough to worry about with Saddam Insane shutting off oil exports? Now, it's the possibility of war, too?

-- Uncle Fred (dogboy45@bigfoot.com), June 04, 2001.

Gulf War II?

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), June 04, 2001.

Gulf War II: agreed. And where would the US stage out of if Saddam runs a blitzkrieg attack into Saudi Arabia and occupies it before we can react? Kuwait, at the wrong end of the Persian Gulf? Don't think so. I'll bet Saddam years ago recognized his mistake in taking Kuwait first and leaving Saudi as a base for a counterattack. Imagine all the interesting ramifications.

-- Cash (Cash@andcarry.com), June 05, 2001.