Saudi Arabia has warned against Western or regional intervention in Iraq, as the country's ambassador to London joined international calls for a new government to be established in Baghdad.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud said the turmoil affecting Saudi Arabia's neighbour since the surge by jihadist group Isis (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) last week should be sorted out between Iraqis alone, describing it as a product of the sectarian divisions in Iraq.
As Washington considered an Iraqi request to undertake air strikes against Isis, which has seized a swathe of the north including Mosul, the second city, the Prince signalled that Saudi Arabia was implacably opposed to any new military intervention.
His comments can also be read as a firm statement against Iranian involvement in the fightback against Isis. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's special forces, is reported to have been active in Iraq assisting Shia Muslim militias.
"We oppose all foreign intervention and interference. There must be no meddling in Iraq's internal affairs, not by us or by the US, the UK or by any other Government. This is Iraq's problem and they must sort it out themselves," the Prince wrote.
