Military

DATE= 04/25/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=BUSH / SAUDI PRINCE (L)

NUMBER=2-289093

BYLINE=SCOTT STEARNS

DATELINE=CRAWFORD, TEXAS

CONTENT=

INTRO: President Bush is meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East and the Arab leader's plan for regional peace. V-O-A's Scott Stearns reports, the meeting comes at a time of increasing tension between the long-time allies.

TEXT: The Crown Prince arrived at the president's Texas ranch under cloudy skies for meetings that include Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Colin Powell.

The men have come to discuss the Saudi leader's peace plan which has Israel giving-up land it occupied in 1967 for Arab recognition of Israel's right to exist.

That plan looked promising when Arab leaders endorsed it in Beirut last month. But since then, violence between Israelis and Palestinians escalated with more suicide bombings and Israeli troops in Palestinian-ruled areas.

Administration officials say President Bush wants to push that peace plan forward while getting Arab leaders to do more to pressure Palestinians to stop attacks against Israeli civilians.

Crown Prince Abdullah is expected to tell the president that he needs to do more to stop Israeli offensives in Palestinian territories and free Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from house arrest.

President Bush told Israel to withdraw from Palestinian-ruled areas three weeks ago. Israel says it is fighting a war against terrorism and will not stop until the job is done.

Administration officials say the leaders will also discuss Saudi Arabia's desire to join the World Trade Organization and what to do next in the war against terrorism chiefly the president's concern that Iraq could be helping terrorists acquire weapons of mass destruction.

Mr. Bush says Iran, Iraq, and North Korea form what he calls an "axis of evil" that threatens world peace because they could help terrorists acquire chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons.

While the president says there are no imminent plans to attack Iraq, increasing tensions with Saddam Hussein have raised concerns among U-S allies in the Mideast.

Thursday's meeting with the Crown Prince comes at a low point in U-S / Saudi relations with some American legislators openly questioning Saudi Arabia's commitment to fighting terrorism and cutting off terrorist finances.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers in the terrorist attacks September 11th were Saudi nationals. Saudi officials initially refused to allow U-S troops to use a sophisticated air base in their attacks on terrorists based in Afghanistan.

Then there was the 100-million-dollar Saudi telethon for Palestinian "martyrs" which the White House says Saudi officials told them was not raising money for the families of suicide bombers.

Secretary Powell told Congress this week that some of that money may have gone to the Islamic militant group, Hamas.

Still, administration officials say Saudi Arabia is one of America's oldest and best friends in the region and has been, what they call, "very constructive" in the war against terrorism. (SIGNED)

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