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Posted on 10/05/2002 2:20:29 PM PDT by knighthawk
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) - Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri held talks with the king of Bahrain on Saturday in a tour of Persian Gulf states aimed at finding support against a possible U.S. attack on Iraq.
Sabri delivered a letter from President Saddam Hussein to the king, Sheik Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the official Bahrain News Agency reported. The letter dealt the current situation in the region and issues of mutual concern, the agency said, without elaborating.
During the meeting, Sheik Hamad said Iraq must comply with U.N. resolutions to keep stability in the region and "spare the area from all risks and tensions," the agency said.
Bahrain, a small Persian Gulf island nation, is home to the regional base of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.
Sabri left Bahrain later Saturday. According to the Iraqi Embassy, he is scheduled to go to Oman as part of his regional tour.
President Bush accuses Saddam of stockpiling weapons of mass destruction and harboring terrorists. He says Iraq must disarm or face military action.
Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit on Saturday denied reports that Washington had formally asked permission to deploy more warplanes and use Turkey's air bases for a possible military operation against Iraq.
Ecevit's denial came hours after private NTV and CNN-Turk televisions reported that the United States asked Turkey permission to deploy more warplanes in southern Incirlik air base, which has hosted some 100 U.S. and British warplanes since the Gulf War.
"There is no demand for bases," Ecevit told a news conference.
But Ecevit confirmed that the military and the government were discussing measures to be taken in case of a war in Iraq.
Incirlik was a staging point for strikes on Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War. The U.S. and British warplanes use the Incirlik base to enforce the no-fly zone over northern Iraq.
NTV said Washington also has asked permission to use some bases in southeastern cities, including Diyarbakir, across the border from Iraq.
Turkey's support is crucial for any U.S. military operation against Iraq, but Turkey is reluctant to support military action against its southern neighbor. Turkey fears that a war in Iraq could destabilize the entire region.
"We absolutely don't want a war in our region," Ecevit said.
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