JEDDAH, 26 August — Prince Abdullah, the regent, will send an important message to US President George W. Bush tomorrow which analysts said would help normalize strained Saudi-US ties.
Saudi Ambassador to Washington Prince Bandar ibn Sultan will deliver the message during a meeting with Bush at the president’s Crawford ranch.
Saudi daily Okaz quoted unnamed sources as saying the letter would deal with US-Saudi relations, which have been sorely tested in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
"This is an important meeting and will bring Saudi-US relations back to normal," the paper said quoting a national security adviser to the Clinton administration.
"They will discuss four major topics: Bilateral relations, war on Iraq, the Palestine issue and the fight against terrorism," the official said.
The White House announced Friday that President Bush will welcome Ambassador Prince Bandar for a visit to his Texas ranch. "He’s coming to talk about a variety of regional issues — the Middle East and many other topics," spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
Okaz quoted a senior administration official as saying that Bush would explain to the ambassador the "US justifications for waging a war on Iraq." Riyadh has opposed any war saying new military strikes on Iraq cannot be justified and can lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. Fleischer said the talks between Bush and Prince Bandar would focus on Middle East peace. "They’ll talk about resources, they’ll talk about continuing to advance toward peace in the Middle East," he added.
Addressing reporters before a fund-raising appearance by Bush in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Fleischer said, "Saudi Arabia is a stalwart ally in the war against terrorism.
Saudi Arabia has also played a very constructive role in trying to bring peace to the Middle East, so the president is looking forward to the visit."
Traditionally strong bilateral relations, built in the 70 years since modern Saudi Arabia was established in 1932, are today clouded with mistrust, fueled by a tit-for-tat war of words in the press.
A leaked July 10 Pentagon briefing portrayed the Kingdom as an enemy of the United States. And relations took a further nosedive last week when more than 600 relatives of the Sept. 11 victims filed a multitrillion-dollar lawsuit against Saudi banks, charities and individuals.
The Bush administration has disavowed these sentiments, and White House officials have since been scrambling to quell the diplomatic uproar.
