Iraq–Saudi Arabia relations

Saudi-Iraqi relations are the relations between the Republic of Iraq and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which remain poor, neither hold diplomatic relations with each other.

History

Saudi relations with Iraq have been the most problematic, vacillating from tension to de facto alliance to war. Throughout the 1960s and into the early 1970s, Riyadh has suspected Baghdad of supporting political movements hostile to Saudi interests, not only in the Arabian Peninsula but also in other Middle Eastern countries. Saudi-Iraqi ties consequently were strained, the kingdom tried to contain the spread of Iraqi radicalisation by strengthening its relations with states such as Iran, Kuwait, Syria and the United States, all of which shared its distrust of Baghdad.Beginning about 1975, however, Iraq began to moderate its foreign policies, a change that significantly lessened tensions between Riyadh and Baghdad. Saudi Arabia's diplomatic relations with Iraq were relatively cordial by the time the Iranian Islamic Revolution erupted in 1979.

The Saudi's and Iraqi's both felt threatened by the Iranian advocacy of exporting Islamic revolution, and this shared fear fostered an unprecedented degree of cooperation between both countries. Although Riyadh declared its neutrality at the outset of the Iran–Iraq War in 1980, it helped Baghdad in non-military ways. For example, during the eight year conflict, Saudi Arabia provided Iraq with an estimated US $25 billion in low-interest loans and grants, reserved for Iraqi customers part of its production from oil fields in the Iraq-Saudi Arabian Neutral Zone, and also assisted with the construction of an oil pipeline to transport Iraqi oil across its territory. Despite its considerable financial investments in creating a political alliance with Iraq, Saudi Arabia failed to maintain a long-term friend.

On the contrary, in August 1990, only two years after Baghdad and Tehran had agreed to cease hostilities, Iraqi forces unexpectedly invaded and occupied Kuwait. Saudi Arabia took action against Iraq claiming Iraq's actions posed a serious threat to its security and requested the United States to bring troops into the kingdom to help contront Iraq. Riyadh's fears concerning Baghdad's ultimate intentions prompted Saudi Arabia to become involved directly in the war against Iraq during January and February, 1991. Although the United States was the principal military power in the coalition of the forces that opposed Iraq, the kingdoms air bases served as main staging areas for aerial strikes against Iraqi targets, and personnel of the Saudi armed forces who participated in both the bombing assaults and the ground offensive. Iraq responded by firing several Scud-B missiles at Riyadh and other Saudi towns. This conflict marked the first time since its invasion of Yemen in 1934, that Saudi Arabia had fought against another Arab state.

Saudi leaders were relieved when Iraq was defeated, but they recognised that relations with Baghdad had been damaged.

Consequently, postwar Saudi policy focused on ways to contain potential Iraqi threats to the kingdom and the region. One elements of Riyadh's containment policy included support for Iraqi opposition forces that advocated the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's government. In the past, backing for such groups had been discreet, but in early 1992 the Saudi's invited several Iraqi opposition leaders to Riyadh to attend a well-publicised conference. To further demonstarate Saudi dissatisfaction with the regime in Baghdad, Crown Prince Abdallah permitted the media to videotape his meeting with some of the opponents of Saddam Hussein.

See also

* Saudi-Iraq barrier
* Iraqis in Saudi Arabia
* Saudi support for Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war

References

* [http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-11645.html History of Saudi Arabia's relations with Iraq]