Protesting continued Israeli aggression, Saudi crown prince cancels visit to the USA?
Saudi Arabia-USA, Politics, 4/16/2002

The Lebanese Arabic daily Assafir issued on Tuesday quoted news reports as saying that, American officials said that the Saudi crown prince Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz has cancelled his visit set on April 22nd to the US because of the continued Israeli operations against the Palestinians and the Palestinian authority.

Meantime, the advisor for the Saudi crown prince said that the proposal of the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon o convene a regional conference on the Middle East " will be a positive step of the Israelis will be serious concerning full withdrawal from the occupied territories."

An official at the US state department told the United Press International about the cancellation of this visit " this is the information we have. " He added:" under these conditions, the cancellation of the visit is not surprising."

However, behind the scene, the White House still urges the Saudi crown prince Abdullah to fulfill the invitation of the US President George Bush because canceling the visit "will be embarrassing for Bush."

Expert in the Middle East affairs at the strategic and international studies center in Washington Judith Kheiber said "Abdullah can not appear as if he supports an American policy that did not lead to a cease fire between Israel and the Palestinians, and there will be no cease fire." To this effect, a US former diplomat to the region refused to be identified said that canceling the visit will be a " grave mistake " but it is the mistake of the US administration, noting " In the White House there is a group which seems to have a very little experience in the Middle East affairs."

Meantime, officials at the US state department said that crown prince Abdullah denounced the Israeli operations which was called " the preventive wall" and described it as " a brutal act away from any humanitarian logic."

Meantime, the advisor for crown prince Abdullah for the foreign policy Adel al-Jubeir told the CNN on Sunday that the regional conference proposal on the Middle East " will be a positive step if the Israelis will be serious concerning complete withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories ."

Assafir added that American officials said that the Saudi crown prince warned the US secretary of state Collin Powel before his ( Powell ) tour on the region that the Israeli continued military operations will endanger the American interests in the Arab states.

Previous Stories:
  Saudi Arabia for sending observers to the West Bank   (4/10/2002)
  Saudi crown prince Abdullah, Powell meets in Gasablanca   (4/10/2002)
  Saudi crown prince holds talks with Powell in Casablanca   (4/9/2002)

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