A leading Saudi newspaper yesterday urged Iraqi President Saddam to do all EXCEPT

A leading Saudi newspaper yesterday urged Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to make a "heroic" choice and step down from power to save his country and the whole Middle East from a looming US-led war. AI-Riyadh said any discussions of the Iraq crisis would fail unless Saddam took the "necessary political decision" to ward off a US attack. "Saddam will not be considered defeated if he wants to save Iraq; it would be seen as a wise and even heroic decision which may erase previous moral and legal judgments against him," the daily said in an editorial. AI-Riyadh pointed out that for a proposed Arab summit to be successful "Baghdad must realize that the issue is not normal." It said a reasonable stance from Iraq will enable Arabs to unite in dealing with the United States and have an impact on international developments.