Saudi Arabia yesterday reacted to the indictments in the United States of suspects for a bombing in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 U.S. servicemen by saying only Saudi Arabia had the right to take legal action in the case.

But Defence Minister Prince Sultan told reporters at the end of an official visit to Yemen that Saudi Arabia was willing to work with any party with information on the attack.

"Any country, particularly the United States, has the right to question anybody present on its territory, but they have no right to take any action because action is the right of Saudi Arabia itself," he said. "We would be happy to learn from any country that has evidence on anyone involved in this incident and we will cooperate with it."

In Washington, a Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment on the steps being taken to seek the extradition of individuals, and said the United States always actively seeks the extradition of people accused of violating U.S. laws.

Attorney General John Ashcroft, in announcing the indictments on Thursday, accused the Iranian government of involvement in the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing near Dhahran, which also wounded 372 U.S. servicemen.

Those indicted in the United States are 13 Saudi members of an allegedly pro-Iranian group called Saudi Hizbollah, or "Party of God," and a Lebanese man. The federal grand jury's 46-count indictment included conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, bombing resulting in death and murder of federal employees.

The charges, the first after an intensive five-year investigation, were brought days before the fifth anniversary of the attack in which a powerful truck bomb ripped through the U.S. military housing complex at Khobar.

Saudi Arabia has said it is holding a number of suspects in the bombing but that others are still being sought. The kingdom has refused to blame any country, insisting that the investigation has not been completed.