Saudi King Tells Iraq: Withdraw, Then Negotiate

HAFR AL BATIN, Saudi Arabia —  King Fahd, in his first review of military forces from 16 nations poised for war along the Kuwaiti border, appealed Sunday for Iraq to “avoid bloodshed” and pledged to support negotiations over Iraq’s territorial claims after a complete pullout from Kuwait.

The Saudi Arabian monarch emphasized that Baghdad’s withdrawal of troops from Kuwait is a precondition to any negotiations. But his remarks to Western journalists appeared to endorse the idea of offering President Saddam Hussein the prospect of progress on his claims against Kuwait without appearing to reward Iraq for its Aug. 2 invasion of the tiny oil emirate.

U.S. officials have continued to stress that they will not negotiate with Iraq in Wednesday’s talks between U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III and Iraqi Foreign Minister Tarik Aziz in Geneva. However, both U.S. and Arab officials have quietly begun to explore the idea of negotiations after withdrawal as one framework for achieving peace in the Persian Gulf.

“First they withdraw. Then, if there is any demand by Iraq to Kuwait, the two countries should sit together and discuss the matter between themselves. And whatever they agree on, we will support,” King Fahd said.

“If they want us to intervene in any way and be part of the negotiations, we will be happy to do that,” he added.

However, the Saudi monarch also cautioned that the allied forces assembled in Saudi Arabia will accept nothing less than an unconditional pullout, and he said Hussein still holds the key to war or peace in the region.

“I am stating from here, this problem will not be solved peacefully if he does not withdraw from Kuwait unconditionally and restore the legitimate government,” King Fahd said in an address to thousands of troops near giant King Khaled Military City, an air base and military complex in northern Saudi Arabia.

“All the doors are locked but they can be opened both ways,” he said. Later, he added: “Our troops here are determined to liberate Kuwait, one way or the other.”

The king’s public appearance on Sunday was extraordinary, not only because it represented his first review of the multinational troops assembled in the kingdom since August, but also because the normally reclusive monarch agreed to an exchange with American and British journalists, freely answering nearly a dozen questions and later chatting amiably with reporters.

The impromptu press conference and the position of the American military commander, Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, near King Fahd demonstrated the extent to which the American presence here has in many ways come to be accepted.

King Fahd and Schwarzkopf, riding in a red-carpeted jeep, also reviewed about 1,000 American troops, including the 1st Cavalry Division’s color guard and marching band, which played the Saudi and American national anthems.

Asked if he felt vindicated about inviting U.S. forces to Saudi Arabia in the face of opposition from many elements in the Arab world, the king replied: “We have taken the right step. We still know it’s the right step and we don’t have any instability. The people who objected are those people who supported Saddam Hussein from the beginning.”

Later, King Fahd, seated in an open tent on a plush upholstered chair flanked by several of his royal brothers and sons, addressed about 5,000 troops from Saudi Arabia, Britain, Egypt, Syria, France, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Bangladesh, Czechoslovakia, Senegal, Morocco, Niger and Pakistan.

The event had the usual pomp, circumstance and confusion associated with most royal appearances here. American forces stood in formation for nearly an hour and a half awaiting the appearance of the habitually tardy monarch, and the red-carpeted reviewing stand was moved twice in the interim.

“We’re used to being quick,” deadpanned one American officer of the preparations. “If you saw how many times we changed between yesterday and today, you’d know why.” He nodded toward the latest location of the reviewing stand. “You get a four-star (general) involved in moving the carpets, you know.”

Schwarzkopf said King Fahd’s visit to the troops “demonstrates that we’re all in this together,” and he shrugged when asked if the Saudi leader should have made the visit sooner. “Who am I to tell kings what to do?” he replied. “They’re very busy people. I just think it’s a wonderful gesture that he came out now to see them.”

The military commander also refused to speculate on the outcome of the Baker-Aziz talks and how soon U.S. troops would be ready to fight if necessary. “We’ve been ready for a very long time, and we get more ready every day. And I agree with the President--we talk too much about this readiness business. We are ready now.”

He added: “My job’s not to think about breaks. My job’s to keep these troops ready to go.”

The commander of the united Arab forces, Saudi Gen. Khalid ibn Sultan, welcomed the king and declared to the multinational troops: “Here we are, Saudis, brothers and friends, ready and awaiting our orders. If the future is to be peace, we will be the protectors. If the future holds war, we are ready.”

Although his country is now “a battlefield,” King Fahd told reporters, “we are sure, God willing, that peace will be realized--either way.”

He added: “I share with President Bush his instincts and his hope, and I hope Saddam Hussein will take the important step and withdraw from Kuwait and avoid the bloodshed and the catastrophe of war.”

In another sign that the kingdom is seeking to send reassurances as well as threats to the Iraqi leader, King Fahd did not respond directly to questions about how Iraq should be punished for the invasion or how to assure future security against Iraq’s massive military machine.

Instead, he said simply: “First of all, it will be in his favor if he withdraws, so that will make matters easy for him to make the move, maybe without any kind of punishment.

“Always, there is a way to negotiate and talk about making agreements in the future so such a thing like what happened now will not be repeated.”

The conciliatory remarks contrasted with Saudi government officials’ repeated insistence in private that Iraq must be made to pay reparations for damages to Kuwait and must be subject to continued economic sanctions until it agrees to give up its chemical weapons and its huge armed forces superiority.

Saudi officials continue to deny that they are involved in any behind-the-scenes talks with Iraq or with intermediaries.