Saudi Prince Warns Bush on Israel
President Urges Israel to Complete West Bank Withdrawal
By Randall Mikkelsen
Reuters
CRAWFORD, Texas (April 25) - President Bush, warned by Saudi Arabia that U.S. ties with the Arab world were at risk over Middle East violence, urged Israel Thursday to complete a withdrawal from Palestinian areas without further bloodshed.
''Israel must finish its withdrawal, including resolution of standoffs in Ramallah and Bethlehem, in a nonviolent way,'' Bush told reporters after nearly five hours of talks with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah at his Texas ranch.
Palestinians, in turn, must ''do more to stop terror,'' he said.
Bush's remarks addressed the most immediate issue for many in the Arab world -- the Israeli siege of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's compound in Ramallah and a standoff with Palestinians inside Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity.
But they broke little new ground and evidently fell short of Saudi hopes. Abdullah had arrived with a warning that the United States risked ''grave consequences'' to its interests to the region if Bush did not moderate U.S. support for Israel's crackdown on Palestinians.
''If that's all the president had to say it would appear that they didn't make any progress in finding common ground,'' said Judith Kipper, a Middle East analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Abdullah, who has assumed day-to-day control of the Saudi government because of King Fahd's illness, is the author of a Middle East peace plan that was accepted at a recent Arab summit and that Bush welcomed as a ''new portal'' to peace.
An increasingly influential voice in the region, Abdullah came to the meeting bearing the concerns of Arab nations outraged at the Israeli crackdown and U.S. support for Israel.
Bush said he and Abdullah had a ''very cordial'' meeting that confirmed a strong U.S.-Saudi relationship, and had a ''shared vision'' of Israeli-Palestinian peaceful coexistence.
But a senior U.S. official confirmed Abdullah raised concerns over the direction of U.S.-Arab relations amid the violence. Saudi Arabia, with the world's largest oil reserves, is a key U.S. Arab ally whose support is crucial to expanding the U.S.-led war on terrorism to countries such as Iraq.
Bush also said he expected Saudi Arabia to honor assurances it would not support an Iraqi embargo on oil shipments to the United States, after energy markets roiled over speculation about a change in Saudi policy. ''Saudi Arabia has made it clear ... that they will not use oil as a weapon and I appreciate that, respect that, and expect that to be the case,'' he said.
A New York Times report Thursday that frustration over U.S. Middle East policy could lead Saudi Arabia to consider backing the Iraqi embargo sent prices higher on world markets.
Saudi officials in Crawford dismissed the report. ''Oil is not a weapon. Oil is not a tank. You cannot fire oil,'' Saudi foreign policy adviser Adel al-Jubeir told reporters. A U.S. official said Abdullah made similar assurances to Bush.
The U.S. official said lower-level discussions between the two sides would continue over the next few days.
Al-Jubeir told reporters Abdullah believed U.S. ties with the Arab world would suffer if Washington failed to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to end the occupation of Palestinian areas. ''If the U.S. doesn't do more to reduce the violence, there will be grave consequences for the U.S. and its interests,'' al-Jubeir said.
RANCH TOUR
Bush first urged Israel to end its military campaign in the West Bank more than two weeks ago, but appeared to accept Israel's response that it needed more time to destroy what it calls a ''terrorist infrastructure''.
Bush met Abdullah at the door to his ranch house wearing a suit and silver, Western style belt buckle. Abdullah wore a traditional gold-trimmed, brown robe. After two hours of formal talks -- an hour longer than scheduled -- the two broke for a tour of the sprawling ranch and a lunch on beef tenderloin.
Arab anger toward the United States has risen along with perceptions Washington is unabashedly pro-Israel.
Many Arabs were looking for the Saudi crown prince to press Bush for Israeli agreement to end its occupation of Palestinian territory, and accept a Palestinian state.
''If he (Sharon) is left to his own devices, he will drag the region over a cliff,'' al-Jubeir said.
Underscoring the importance of the meeting, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice all took part. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld met Abdullah Wednesday.
Bush said he spoke with Abdullah of the need for Arab leaders to refrain from inciting anti-Israeli violence, and to accept Israel ''as a nation and neighbor.''
Top aides raised concerns that a recent Saudi telethon for Palestinians was helping to raise money for suicide bombers, the senior U.S. official said. The Saudis assured the Americans that the money was strictly for humanitarian purposes, funneled through non-governmental organizations, she said.
U.S.-Saudi relations were strained by the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. Washington says 15 of the 19 men suspected of carrying out the hijackings were Saudis.
But Saudi Arabia has been a longtime U.S. ally, allowing the United States to use its bases for attacks on Iraq during the Gulf War and for air patrols since then.
Osama bin Laden, a Saudi-born exile blamed by the United States for the Sept. 11 attacks, has said closing the bases was a priority in his campaign to drive the United States from the region.
Reuters 20:37 04-25-02
Copyright 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
Saudi Prince Warns Bush on Israel
President Urges Israel to Complete West Bank Withdrawal
By Randall Mikkelsen
Reuters
CRAWFORD, Texas (April 25) - President Bush, warned by Saudi Arabia that U.S. ties with the Arab world were at risk over Middle East violence, urged Israel Thursday to complete a withdrawal from Palestinian areas without further bloodshed.
''Israel must finish its withdrawal, including resolution of standoffs in Ramallah and Bethlehem, in a nonviolent way,'' Bush told reporters after nearly five hours of talks with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah at his Texas ranch.
Palestinians, in turn, must ''do more to stop terror,'' he said.
Bush's remarks addressed the most immediate issue for many in the Arab world -- the Israeli siege of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's compound in Ramallah and a standoff with Palestinians inside Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity.
But they broke little new ground and evidently fell short of Saudi hopes. Abdullah had arrived with a warning that the United States risked ''grave consequences'' to its interests to the region if Bush did not moderate U.S. support for Israel's crackdown on Palestinians.
''If that's all the president had to say it would appear that they didn't make any progress in finding common ground,'' said Judith Kipper, a Middle East analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Abdullah, who has assumed day-to-day control of the Saudi government because of King Fahd's illness, is the author of a Middle East peace plan that was accepted at a recent Arab summit and that Bush welcomed as a ''new portal'' to peace.
An increasingly influential voice in the region, Abdullah came to the meeting bearing the concerns of Arab nations outraged at the Israeli crackdown and U.S. support for Israel.
Bush said he and Abdullah had a ''very cordial'' meeting that confirmed a strong U.S.-Saudi relationship, and had a ''shared vision'' of Israeli-Palestinian peaceful coexistence.
But a senior U.S. official confirmed Abdullah raised concerns over the direction of U.S.-Arab relations amid the violence. Saudi Arabia, with the world's largest oil reserves, is a key U.S. Arab ally whose support is crucial to expanding the U.S.-led war on terrorism to countries such as Iraq.
Bush also said he expected Saudi Arabia to honor assurances it would not support an Iraqi embargo on oil shipments to the United States, after energy markets roiled over speculation about a change in Saudi policy. ''Saudi Arabia has made it clear ... that they will not use oil as a weapon and I appreciate that, respect that, and expect that to be the case,'' he said.
A New York Times report Thursday that frustration over U.S. Middle East policy could lead Saudi Arabia to consider backing the Iraqi embargo sent prices higher on world markets.
Saudi officials in Crawford dismissed the report. ''Oil is not a weapon. Oil is not a tank. You cannot fire oil,'' Saudi foreign policy adviser Adel al-Jubeir told reporters. A U.S. official said Abdullah made similar assurances to Bush.
The U.S. official said lower-level discussions between the two sides would continue over the next few days.
Al-Jubeir told reporters Abdullah believed U.S. ties with the Arab world would suffer if Washington failed to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to end the occupation of Palestinian areas. ''If the U.S. doesn't do more to reduce the violence, there will be grave consequences for the U.S. and its interests,'' al-Jubeir said.
RANCH TOUR
Bush first urged Israel to end its military campaign in the West Bank more than two weeks ago, but appeared to accept Israel's response that it needed more time to destroy what it calls a ''terrorist infrastructure''.
Bush met Abdullah at the door to his ranch house wearing a suit and silver, Western style belt buckle. Abdullah wore a traditional gold-trimmed, brown robe. After two hours of formal talks -- an hour longer than scheduled -- the two broke for a tour of the sprawling ranch and a lunch on beef tenderloin.
Arab anger toward the United States has risen along with perceptions Washington is unabashedly pro-Israel.
Many Arabs were looking for the Saudi crown prince to press Bush for Israeli agreement to end its occupation of Palestinian territory, and accept a Palestinian state.
''If he (Sharon) is left to his own devices, he will drag the region over a cliff,'' al-Jubeir said.
Underscoring the importance of the meeting, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice all took part. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld met Abdullah Wednesday.
Bush said he spoke with Abdullah of the need for Arab leaders to refrain from inciting anti-Israeli violence, and to accept Israel ''as a nation and neighbor.''
Top aides raised concerns that a recent Saudi telethon for Palestinians was helping to raise money for suicide bombers, the senior U.S. official said. The Saudis assured the Americans that the money was strictly for humanitarian purposes, funneled through non-governmental organizations, she said.
U.S.-Saudi relations were strained by the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. Washington says 15 of the 19 men suspected of carrying out the hijackings were Saudis.
But Saudi Arabia has been a longtime U.S. ally, allowing the United States to use its bases for attacks on Iraq during the Gulf War and for air patrols since then.
Osama bin Laden, a Saudi-born exile blamed by the United States for the Sept. 11 attacks, has said closing the bases was a priority in his campaign to drive the United States from the region.
Reuters 20:37 04-25-02
Copyright 2002 Reuters Limited. |
