Saudi Arabia would allow the US to use its air bases and an important operations center in a possible war with Iraq, the New York Times reported on Saturday, citing senior US military officials.
"I firmly believe the Saudis will give us all the cooperation we need, and every indication I have is we're getting pretty much what we've asked for," General John Jumper, the Air Force chief of staff, said in an interview with the newspaper, published in its online edition.
Major Sandy Troeber, a Pentagon spokeswoman, would not confirm Saudi Arabia had agreed to provide its military bases for possible US operations against Iraq. "Saudi Arabia has been a strong ally to the United States and also in support of the war on terrorism," she said.
Saudi embassy officials in Washington were not available for comment.
US-Saudi relations have been strained since the Sept. 11 strikes in which many of the attackers were Saudi-born. Publicly, Saudi officials have been noncommittal about aiding US military operations in any Iraq war and have at times issued contradictory statements.
In recent months, US military planners have been scouting out alternative sites in the Gulf in case Saudi Arabia refused to be the main staging area for US forces in a new conflict with Iraq, as the kingdom was during the 1991 Gulf War.
But the Times reported US commanders said they had private assurances they could use a sophisticated command center at Prince Sultan Air Base outside Riyadh, the capital.
US military commanders also said allied airplanes would be allowed to fly from Saudi bases and use the nation's airspace for missions in an Iraq war, the newspaper said.
Last month, Saudi's Prince Saud said the kingdom would not allow the US to use its facilities for an attack against Iraq.
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