Maybe Bush's dog Barney still loves him, but . . .

Saudi king: U.S. presence in Iraq is 'illegitimate occupation'

By Noha El-Hennawy and Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times

Saudi king: U.S. presence in Iraq is 'illegitimate occupation'
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, one of the United States' closest Arab allies, told Arab leaders on Wednesday that the U.S. presence in Iraq was illegal and warned that unless Arab governments settled their differences, foreign powers such as the United States would continue to dictate the region's politics.

"In beloved Iraq, blood is flowing between brothers, in the shadow of an illegitimate foreign occupation, and abhorrent sectarianism threatens a civil war," the king said at the opening of the Arab League summit meeting here.

Abdullah insisted that only when Arab leaders unite will they be able to prevent "foreign powers from drawing the region's future."The real blame should be directed at us, the leaders of the Arab nation," he said. "Our constant disagreements and rejection of unity have made the Arab nation lose confidence in our sincerity and lose hope."

His speech, a nod to hardliners, underscored growing differences between Saudi Arabia and the Bush administration as the Saudis take on a greater leadership role in the Middle East, partly at U.S. urging.

A host of problems threatening this volatile, oil-rich region arose during the first sessions of the two-day summit, including the standoff between Iran and Britain over Tehran's capture of 15 Britons, fears of an impending nuclear arms race, Iraq and the Lebanese standoff with opposition forces.

But much of the attention went to the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, viewed by many as the wellspring for the region's rising Islamic radicalism. Abdullah condemned the U.S.-backed aid boycott of the Palestinian government. Arab states have called for an end to the sanctions after Hamas formed a unity government last month with the moderate Fatah party.

Saudis want to revive their 2002 peace plan in which they proposed swapping Arab recognition of Israel for concessions, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces from land occupied following the 1967 Six Day War. Israel, which has shunned the proposal in the past, has warmed up recently.

There has been increasing discussion of wider regional meetings in which Israel and the Palestinians would join representatives of four major Arab nations -- Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates -- and members of the so-called Quartet, the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations.

The White House sees the Arab League gathering as a possible way to revive a stalled peace process, although analysts say Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's domestic unpopularity gives him limited bargaining room.

Experts on the Saudi kingdom divided over the significance of Abdullah's comment about the U.S. presence in Iraq, with one cautioning against reading too much into it and another calling the statement extraordinary, given that Riyadh has recognized the Iraqi government and accepted post-invasion U.N. resolutions regarding Iraq.

Original article posted here.