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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dan B. who wrote (238562)	3/16/2002 11:25:08 AM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Cheney to Meet With Saudis Saturday, March 16, 2002 ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Vice President Dick Cheney's tough Iraq talk is meeting sharp Saudi reservations about the U.S. role in stopping the spiraling Israeli-Palestinian violence. The top missions of Cheney's swing through the Middle East all come together during talks in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. The administration believes that a close working relationship with the Saudis is central to anything America hopes to achieve in the troubled Islamic world. Pressing his swing through 11 Middle Eastern countries, Cheney made a short stop in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday on his way from Muscat, Oman, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. His visit included a meeting at the presidential palace here with Emirates President Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyane. Before leaving Oman, Cheney toured a mosque. American hopes of hitting Iraq's Saddam Hussein have long hinged on the Muslim kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Since Sept. 11, it has been key to wiping out support for Al Qaeda. Now, its influence with the Arab world is also central to taming the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. The allies have profound differences on handling Saddam. Shortly before Cheney's arrival, Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah warned that the United States cannot overthrow the Iraqi leader and that any strike against Iraq would just increase anti-U.S. feeling in the region. A successful attack could leave Iraq in chaos or divided, causing problems for the Saudis and others throughout the region. Among the worries of Saudis and other Arabs is that the United States "would attack just long enough to hurt the Iraqi people without jeopardizing Saddam's hold on power," said Philip Gordon of the Brookings Institution in Washington. Both Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who met with Cheney earlier this week, say Saddam is close to allowing in U.N. weapons inspectors — a step Arabs are pushing for to avert U.S. military action. Merely allowing inspectors may not be enough, unless they are given full access, said a senior Bush administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The administration hopes that the Saudis might at least acquiesce with any U.S. military plan, even if they don't directly and publicly support it. Despite the disagreement over Iraq, the American-Saudi relationship has clearly improved in the last few weeks, after suffering some strains after Sept. 11. President Bush has, in particular, praised a new Abdullah plan to end Mideast violence. The crown prince also was pushing his proposal for Arabs to normalize relations with Israel in return for Israel's withdrawal from all the territory it occupied in the 1967 Middle East war, including the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Cheney's priorities included pressing Saudi Arabia to work to quash financial backing among its people for Al Qaeda. The American public's suspicion that Saudis hadn't cracked down on fund-raising for Islamic extremists was a source of tension after the Sept. 11 attacks. Of the 19 hijackers, 15 were Saudis. Both sides clearly want the relationship on track. Abdullah has made a point of saying in recent interviews — rarely granted before now — that Saudis abhor terrorism and want good U.S. relations. foxnews.com