"As a global village, any war, no matter wherever it happens, would bring about negative consequences to the whole world," Abdulrahman Al-Matrodi, deputy minister of Islamic Affairs, Religious Endowments, Call and Guidance, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

He said even before the Iraq war broke out, Saudi Arabia was well aware of its possible negative impact and called for a peaceful solution to the crisis.

Unfortunately the war erupted, he said. "We hope the war would not have a long-term negative impact on the Gulf region and countries in other regions."

He said Saudi Arabia hopes that the United Nations will play a leading role in Iraq's reconstruction with the positive participation of various countries.

"As Iraq is an Arab country, other Arab countries should do their utmost to support its rebuilding," he said, while calling for an end to coalition's military occupation in Iraq as soon as possible.

He said China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, opposes the use of force and seeks a political solution to the Iraqi issue within the UN framework.

"Saudi Arabia appreciates China's stance and wishes China to play a more effective role in future international affairs," he added.

Saudi Arabia, which opposes the Iraq war, has called for respecting the Iraqi people's right to choose their own government and decide their own future.

At a cabinet session on Monday, Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdel Aziz expressed deep concern over the lack of law and order and shortage of clean water and medicine in Iraq, fearing it would lead to humanitarian catastrophe.

On the same day, the kingdom called on foreign ministers from Iraq's neighboring countries to attend an emergency meeting in Riyadh on Friday to tackle the possible fallout of the ongoing Iraq war.

Anarchy in Iraq has worsened since US troops thrust into the heart of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad last Wednesday and ended Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's 24-year rule.

Looting has been rampant in many areas of Baghdad in the absence of government rule and law since the collapse of Saddam's regime, raising concerns and fears among local residents.

Defying international opposition, the United States and Britain launched a war against Iraq on March 20 in a bid to topple Saddam.

(Xinhua News Agency April 15, 2003)