Bush Tells Saudi Saddam a 'Menace'

August 27, 2002
By LEIGH STROPE, Associated Press Writer

CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) - President Bush, confronting an ally opposed to his Iraq policy, told Saudi Arabia's ambassador Tuesday that Saddam Hussein is "a menace to world peace," the White House spokesman said.

Bush also urged the kingdom to resolve custody cases involving children who have been abducted from the United States to the kingdom.

"Not enough progress has been made, because people have not been allowed to come back to the United States who ought to be able to," spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters after the meeting with Prince Bandar bin Sultan.

According to State Department officials, Saudi courts almost always favor Saudi fathers in child custody cases involving non-Saudi mothers. It marked the first time Bush has raised the issue with a high-level Saudi official.

Bush met privately with the Saudi diplomat for about an hour, then Bandar brought his family to lunch at the president's ranch near here.

"They discussed a variety of issues including the prospects for ... peace in the Middle East," Fleischer said, adding they discussed the war on terrorism and Saudi Arabia's cooperation in the war.

On Iraq, Bush told Bandar he had not decided how to oust Saddam. "He will continue to consult with Saudi Arabia and other nations about steps in the Middle East and Iraq," Fleischer said. "The president made it very clear again that he believes Saddam Hussein is a menace to world peace, a menace to regional peace."

Just hours before the meeting, the foreign policy adviser to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah said the kingdom opposes military action against Iraq.

"There is a process under way with the U.N. to bring the inspectors back in, unfettered," said Adel el-Jubeir said. "We believe it will succeed, and if it does, the objective (of searching for weapons of mass destruction) will be achieved without firing a single bullet or losing a single life."

In an Associated Press interview in Washington, he said Saudi Arabia was not alone in its objections to a U.S. military attack. "There is no country I know of supporting the use of force in Iraq at this time. Your allies in Europe don't. Your allies in the Middle East don't."

But, the Saudi official said, "you have a situation where the rhetoric about using force is way ahead of the policy."

Meanwhile, the official Saudi Press Agency reported that Bush telephoned Crown Prince Abdullah to reassure him that relations between the two countries remain strong and talk of their deterioration is "irresponsible."

Recent tensions between both nations had been sparked by "irresponsible statements reflecting the points of view only of those who made them," Bush reportedly told the crown prince.

Bush administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the quotes were not accurate but the sentiment is the same: Bush told the crown prince Monday that U.S.-Saudi relations are strong. Specifically, he said a recommendation from a private defense analyst to a Pentagon advisory board did not reflect his views nor the opinion of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

The board was told that Saudi Arabia should be given an ultimatum to stop supporting terrorism or face retaliation.

Bush and the crown prince also talked about the Middle East crisis, officials said.

Earlier this month, 700 relatives of Sept. 11 victims filed suit against the Saudi and Sudanese governments and some institutions claiming that they helped finance Osama bin Laden's network and the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York City, Washington and Pennsylvania.

The lawsuit was filed a week after Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said the United States would not have access to Saudi facilities for an attack on Iraq. He also affirmed the kingdom's opposition to an incursion.

Visits by foreign leaders to Crawford are considered diplomatic plums. Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited there and Chinese President Jiang Zemin is due in late October. Prince Bandar has a personal relationship with the Bush family.

Prince Bandar was with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah when he visited Bush at the ranch in April. Prince Bandar was to be accompanied Tuesday by his family, which was to have lunch at the ranch following morning discussions with Bush. A tour of the grounds also was likely.

Fleischer characterized the meeting as a warm visit by two old friends rather than an intense diplomatic session. He said the meeting would be heavy on spontaneity and light on carefully prepared presentations.

Fifteen of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers were Saudis but the Bush administration never has held the Saudi government responsible.

However, some members of Congress are not sure about Saudi reliability in the terrorism war. A seven-member House delegation will leave for Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to seek clarification of the monarchy's antiterrorism policies.

The Bush administration insists that Saudi Arabia is a valuable ally in the war on terrorism.

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