JEDDAH, 19 August — Prince Abdullah, the regent, held talks here yesterday with Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh on major regional and international issues including the Middle East.

Saleh reiterated his country’s opposition to the planned US strike on Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein. He called for a united Arab stand to confront the "dangerous challenges" facing the Arab and Islamic Ummah.

"The two leaders reviewed the latest developments in the Middle East, most importantly the Palestinian issue, and the ongoing efforts to find a just solution to the conflict," the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The two sides also discussed developments at Arab, Islamic and global levels and ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation, the agency said without elaborating.

Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, Prince Miteb, minister of public works and housing, Prince Nawaf, director of intelligence, and Prince Saud, foreign minister, attended the talks.

"The two leaders were in full agreement over all issues discussed," including opposition to the threatened US strike against Iraq, the AFP news agency quoted Khaled Al-Akwa, Yemen’s ambassador in Riyadh, as saying.

In an arrival statement, Saleh voiced his country’s opposition to threats from the Bush administration to topple Saddam Hussein.

"We hold firm to the Arab position which rejects the (US military) strike against Iraq because it has no justification," President Saleh said.

"Afterall Iraq has expressed readiness to start a dialogue with the (UN arms) inspection commission. The strike will have a grave impact and consequences for the security and stability of the region," he added.

"Changing regime in any country is a matter to be decided by the people of that country," he stated.

Saleh underscored the importance of negotiations for the return of arms inspectors to Iraq who were pulled out of the country in December 1998 on the eve of US-British air strikes.

Saleh’s talks with Prince Abdullah also focused on the suffering of the Palestinian people in the wake of continued Israeli aggression. The two leaders also discussed progress on the demarcation of borders and other security issues, diplomatic sources said.

Saleh said he was pleased with the improved relations between Sanaa and Riyadh since the two countries signed a landmark border agreement in 2000.