Saudi Arabia will not participate "under any circumstances" in a war against Iraq, King Fahd said in a statement Tuesday.

The statement, read by Crown Prince Abdullah on Saudi television, said Saudi armed forces will not enter "one inch" of Iraqi territories.

"We reject outright any infringement on Iraq's unity, independence, resources and internal security, as well as a military occupation, and we have informed the United States of America of our position," the statement said.

However, the king did not say whether U.S. aircraft could use Saudi airspace for attacks on Iraq or whether U.S. planes based at the Prince Sultan Air Base, outside the Saudi capital Riyadh, would be allowed to take part in strikes on Iraq.