No decision on Iraq attack, says Bush
Iraq remains a thorn in US-Saudi relations
President George W Bush has told Saudi Arabia's US ambassador that he has made no decisions on attacking Iraq and will consult the Saudis over steps in the Middle East.
Mr Bush met the ambassador, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, on Tuesday, to try to ease relations strained by the war on terror and differences over Iraq.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said: ''On the topic of Iraq, the president stressed that he has made no decisions, that he will continue to engage in consultations with Saudi Arabia and other nations about steps in the Middle East, steps in Iraq.''
However, Mr Fleischer said the president had stressed that he regarded Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as "a menace to world peace, a menace to regional peace, and that the world and the region will be safer and better off without Saddam Hussein".
The president's assurance followed a tough speech on Monday by Vice-President Dick Cheney, who gave one of the clearest signals yet that the Bush administration intended to depose the Iraqi leader.
'Angry outbursts'
Prince Bandar was given a reception at Mr Bush's ranch normally only accorded to foreign leaders.
Prince Bandar, together with his wife and family, arrived at the 1,600-acre Prairie Chapel ranch in a large motorcade for what officials had described as a casual get-together.
The contacts come as Arab opposition to a military strike on Iraq appears to be growing, with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warning of "angry outbursts" if the Israeli-Palestinian problem is not dealt with first.
On Tuesday, US and British aircraft carried out more attacks on Iraqi territory.
Warplanes bombed a radar site near the northern city of Mosul and an air defence command centre near An Nukhayb in the south.
Earlier, the Saudi news agency SPA reported that Mr Bush had phoned de facto Saudi leader Crown Prince Abdullah to reassure him that relations between the two countries were still strong.
Indication of pressure
The Bush administration has sought to downplay tensions with Saudi Arabia, presenting Prince Bandar as a personal friend whose company the president enjoys.
Crown Prince Abdullah: Reassured by Bush?
"The president enjoys his time with Prince Bandar. He's a very affable fellow, very good humour, speaks English better than most Americans," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
But the BBC's Ian Pannell in Washington says the meeting is an indication not only of the importance of US-Saudi relations but of the pressure the two men have been under.
The White House has repeatedly brushed aside suggestions that Saudi Arabia has been complicit with Islamic militants.
Fifteen of the 11 September hijackers were Saudis and a third of those held at Guantanamo Bay are also from the kingdom.
But the real sticking point is Iraq, our correspondent says, and it remains a thorn in relations that must be dealt with sooner or later.
Arab resistance
In a sign that regional opposition to military action was hardening, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday warned of Arab fury unless some form of peace was reached first between Israel and the Palestinians.
Dick Cheney issued his most hawkish speech so far
"If you strike Iraq... not one Arab leader will be able to control the angry outburst of the masses," he told students in Alexandria.
Mr Mubarak added he thought there was not a single Arab state - including Kuwait - that wanted a strike, and the whole region could descend into chaos.
The speech came as the tiny Gulf state of Qatar stated its opposition to a strike, and joined Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in denying the US use of its military bases.
Clear message
On Monday, the US vice-president presented the most forceful case yet for a pre-emptive strike against Iraq.
He said that time was running out, adding that there was no doubt that Iraq had chemical and biological weapons, and was determined to add nuclear weapons to its arsenal.
However, several senior members of Congress have urged the president not to act without broad-based domestic backing.
The UN withdrew its inspectors four years ago complaining of Iraqi obstruction.
President Bush has accused Iraq of supporting terrorism and developing weapons of mass destruction, allegations which Iraq denies.
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