>>rabs to Tell U.S. Its Interests at Risk - Paper
Last Updated: January 28, 2002 05:19 AM ET
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RIYADH (Reuters) - Arab states plan to send a strongly worded message to the
United States that its interests in the Arab world are at risk if it does not stop Israeli
attacks on Palestinians, a Saudi newspaper reported on Monday.
The Arabic-language al-Watan quoted what it described as a high-ranking Jordanian
source as saying that King Abdullah, now visiting Saudi Arabia, will carry the
message to President Bush when he visits Washington this week.
"It will be an Arab message, particularly a Saudi one, that U.S. interests and relations
with the Arab states will be in danger if Washington did not try to end Israel's
terrorist policy in the region," the paper quoted the Jordanian source as saying.
It said that in their talks in Riyadh, the Jordanian and Saudi leaders agreed on the
need to exert joint efforts to "end the suffering of the Palestinian people and lift a
siege imposed by Israel on Palestinian President Yasser Arafat."
King Abdullah, who arrived in Saudi Arabia on Sunday for a two-day visit, is
scheduled to meet President Bush on Friday.
He was chairman of the last Arab summit, held in Amman last year.
Arafat has been confined by Israeli tanks to his office in the West Bank town of
Ramallah since December, following a series of suicide attacks inside Israel.
The Bush administration has been taking an increasingly tough line against Arafat in
recent days, drawing praise from Israel and a call for U.S. sanctions against the
Palestinian leadership.
Washington has suspended a cease-fire mission to the Middle East by its envoy
Anthony Zinni. The retired Marine Corps general ended his second trip to the region
two weeks ago.
Bush has said he was "very disappointed" with Arafat for not doing enough to rein in
militants behind the attacks on Israel.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan al-Muasher said on Sunday that King Abdullah
plans to explain to Bush "the danger of talking about suspending the peace process
or contacts with the Palestinian Authority."
Oil-rich Saudi Arabia, a key regional ally of the United States, has repeatedly urged
Bush to push Israel to help end 16 months of Israeli-Palestinian violence. <<
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