Leaders Silent as Saudis Brace for Iraqi War

Gas masks began appearing on sale in pharmacies in the Saudi capital on Wednesday, but the government remained officially silent on the possibility of attack from Iraq.

Although there is widespread anxiety here over the presence of Iraqi troops on the Kuwaiti-Saudi border, this monarchy’s government so far has not prepared the public to cope with a possible attack, whether by gas or conventional weapons.

Doctors have been hurriedly trained in how to respond to chemical attacks. In the absence of any official information, an anonymous leaflet is circulating that deals with the problems of poison gas attacks.

“If we are outside,” the leaflet says, “and there is a gas attack, there is nothing we can do. We will die. Indoors, turn off the AC (air conditioning) and seal all inlets and outlets to the rooms. We shouldn’t try to go outside, but cover every part of the body if possible with damp materials, since several of the possible gases are highly soluble. Immersion in a running shower is also advised, as is staying calm and at rest to avoid exertion and to reduce inhalation. We then wait for anything from half an hour to two hours for the gas to disperse.”

There is a general anxiety among the large expatriate community here. If there is a consensus, it is that war is virtually inevitable but that Riyadh’s isolation gives it a geographical defense that tiny Kuwait lacked, providing residents with enough time for evacuation if needed. At the same time, however, there is an awareness of the vulnerability of a city of over 1 million heavily dependent on desalination plants on the Persian Gulf coast and pipelines running across hundreds of miles of arid land.

Meanwhile, the exodus of foreign workers is being felt in many areas. A shortage of nurses has already caused the closure of numerous hospital wards, and many nurses who at first decided to stay out the invasion are now refusing to renew contracts. Filipinos, who are the backbone of the telecommunications and retail industries, are leaving in significant numbers. Many shops are closing, and businesses report problems as the foreigners who live here suspend buying.

Many have scrambled to ship their goods out of the country, and shipping rates have gone up in response. Banks have spent the last two weeks chasing any stable currency they could get, and now they have spent their last Saudi riyals. Major companies chartered flights for departing employees and dependents, and every flight was full for a few anxious days. Now, virtually all dependents of American and European workers have been evacuated.

In the days immediately after the Iraqi invasion, the Saudis themselves were excited and confused. For two days, there was no news about the invasion in the government-controlled media. Since U.S. troops arrived at an undisclosed Saudi location last week and the Riyadh government has adopted a clear anti-Iraqi stand, a majority of Saudis appear to be supporting the American deployment. But some opposition remains; the royal house has many enemies.

An Arabic-speaking businessman who just returned from the eastern part of the country confirmed what people here suspect: Many Shiite Muslims, who are a minority in this country but a majority in Iraq, are firmly pro-Iraqi. The large Shiite community, concentrated there in the main oil-producing region, rose against the Iraqi regime in the aftermath of the 1979 Iranian revolution and were subdued only with military force, including air power.

As the American military role became clearer, several different Arab national groups in this country have adopted an anti-U.S. and anti-Saudi position. Most are identified with the poorer Arab nations that send workers here. The Sudanese have long been considered diligent employees; there are over 1 million in the kingdom. But the Saudis now appear to consider the Sudanese a pro-Iraqi “fifth column.” Sudanese reportedly have been arrested in Riyadh and in Tabuk in the north for protesting the decision to call in U.S. troops.

Many Kuwaiti refugees are still arriving in different parts of the country. The local press says there are 50,000 in Riyadh alone. I saw many hundreds of them in temporary accommodations at a soccer stadium, the women sleeping in various rooms and the men sleeping under the stars on the playing field. Tents are not needed during the Saudi summer. In a display of hospitality for which Saudis are well known, many local people are taking in Kuwaiti families.

There are reports that the Kuwaitis here want to demonstrate against the Iraqi invasion, but the Saudi government frowns on any such displays.

There are signs that the rules of this Muslim kingdom will be suspended to accommodate the American troops. Although women here are forbidden to drive vehicles, female U.S. Army truck drivers are on the roads. According to one story, a Saudi air controller had to seek his superior’s permission before giving landing clearance to an American plane with a woman at the controls.