Saudis may deny U.S. use of air bases

? The Saudi foreign minister said Wednesday that his country did not support a unilateral war against Iraq, and would not aid the United States in such a pursuit.

Prince Saud al-Faisal said his government was resolved to stay out of the war. It would deny use of its military bases for waging war against Iraq, he said, if the U.S. decided to proceed in the absence of another United Nations Security Council vote authorizing the use of force against Iraq.

Saudi Arabia might forgo participation in the war even in the event of a favorable U.N. vote, Saud said. “We would decide that issue based on Saudi national interest,” he said, and on the U.N.’s evidence against Iraq.