RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 3 (UPI) -- Saudi border guards aborted an attempt to smuggle arms into the oil-rich kingdom as Crown Prince Sultan urged calm in settling the Iran nuclear issue.
Saudi Arabia, whose foreign minister has called recently for a Middle East free from weapons of mass destruction, was alarmed by Tehran's announcement of its success in enriching uranium.
Sultan was quoted as telling high school graduates in Riyadh late Tuesday that "Saudi Arabia calls for calmness and patience as well as cooperation in dealing with Iran's nuclear case in a way that will bring welfare for all countries."
In another development, daily al-Watan reported Wednesday that an attempt to smuggle arms was foiled at the Yemen border.
Border guard commander in the region of Najran, Maj. Gen. Abdullah al-Ghamidi, said the smugglers disposed of their weapons when intercepted and ran away, back into Yemen territory.
He said as many as 90 hand grenades were seized, as were seven boxes comprising five kilograms of gunpowder, 76 kilograms of a highly explosive material, 30 detonators used for detonating targets from a distance and automatic rifle bullets.
Al-Ghamidi explained that a border patrol was carrying out a regular inspection mission on Monday when it intercepted a group of people trying to infiltrate the border illegally. When the guards tried to stop them, the smugglers opened fire at the patrol and fled back across the border.
Saudi Arabia has increased security measures along its 1,125-mile border with Yemen, often used by smugglers to introduce weapons into the kingdom which has been rocked by al-Qaida claimed terrorist attacks since May 2003.
