Saudi king slams “illegitimate Iraq occupation”

Saudi king slams “illegitimate Iraq occupation”

(AFP)

28 March 2007

RIYADH - Saudi King Abdullah, whose country is a close US ally, on Wednesday slammed the “illegitimate foreign occupation” of Iraq in an opening speech to the annual Arab summit in Riyadh.

“In beloved Iraq, blood is being shed among brothers in the shadow of an illegitimate foreign occupation, and ugly sectarianism threatens civil war,” Abdullah said.

He also said that Arab nations, which are planning to revive a five-year-old Middle East peace plan at the summit, would not allow any foreign force to decide the future of the region.

In the past, Saudi leaders including Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal have often criticised US policy in Iraq but have never described its presence there as “illegitimate.”