The United States and Saudi Arabia have warned President Saddam Hussein that if there is no diplomatic solution to the Iraq crisis, he alone will be responsible for the consequences.

The warning came in a joint statement issued after talks in Saudi Arabia between the American and Saudi defence ministers, William Cohen and Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz.

William Cohen arrives for talks in Saudi Arabia

The Saudis have made it clear they would oppose any attacks on Iraq from their territory. However, Mr Cohen said enough firepower would be available elsewhere in the region shortly and he was not seeking to use Saudi air bases.

Most of the American military planes already there are based on aircraft carriers in the Gulf. The BBC defence correspondent also says the Americans, who have assembled a huge naval armada, will hope to use bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia.

Strikes promised

Mr Cohen's hopes of succeeding where the US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright failed were hit on Sunday when a Saudi newspaper quoted the country's Foreign Minister as ruling out support for air strikes.

Saudi Defence Minister Prince Saltan reported to be against attacks on Iraq

Mrs Albright, whose recent visit to Saudi Arabia did not persuade King Fahd to support the Anglo-American position, said an attack on Iraq would be "sustained, substantial and heavy".

Before he left for the Middle East, Mr Cohen again promised strikes would not happen if Baghdad allowed the UN weapons inspectors access to all sites.

"If Saddam Hussein has nothing to hide, he has nothing to fear," he said.

But Mr Cohen must convince the Saudis that the issue warrants the scale of current military build-up.

US ground troops from New Jersey leaving for the Gulf

Defence Minister Prince Sultan told the Arab News: "We are against striking Iraq as a people and as a nation."

However, he added, Iraq should stick to the UN resolutions it agreed to at the end of the Gulf War in 1991.

After visiting Saudi Arabia, Mr Cohen will go to Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

Saddam has weeks to comply

Despite the lack of backing, American and Britain suggest strikes on Iraq will happen in the next two weeks unless Saddam Hussein changes his attitude.

On American TV, Mrs Albright said: "It's not days and it's not months - it's in the weeks category. The diplomatic option is running out."

She added: "I have confidence and trust that the Saudi government will support us if force is necessary."

But, although Germany has said it would allow the US to make use of its bases for an attack, France, Russia and China, who are members of the UN Security Council, remain opposed to force.

Saddam is "without moral scruple"

Meanwhile, the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, made a personal attack on the Iraqi President.

He repeated the formula that neither America nor Britain wants to launch strikes and would prefer a diplomatic resolution.

"But we have to be realistic about the nature of the man we are dealing with," he said.

"Saddam Hussein has lied and cheated at every turn. He is a man without moral scruple.

"This is a dictator who has sufficient chemical weapons to wipe out the world's population."

Without saying they would seek to topple Saddam, British ministers have said prolonged strikes would seriously undermine his power-base, which they describe as dependent on his weapon stockpiles and fear among the Iraqi people.

Back to top | BBC News Home | BBC Homepage	©