Saudi King Says US Presence in Iraq is Illegitimate

Rice calls Saudi envoy over king's criticism of US in Iraq

Fri Mar 30, 2:42 PM ET

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice telephoned Saudi Arabia's ambassador Friday after Saudi King Abdullah rattled his US allies by criticizing the US military presence in Iraq as "illegitimate," a senior official said.

"She did reach out to the Saudi ambassador, they had a good chat," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said after Rice called Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir, who was in Riyadh.

McCormack declined to further characterize the exchange, but said there would be "a couple of follow-up conversations," indicating the US side still had questions about King Abdullah's remarks made at the opening of an Arab League summit in Riyadh.

The spokesman said another, unnamed, senior US official would probably telephone Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal about he matter.

And he stressed that US maintained "fundamentally, sound and good relations with Saudi Arabia, and King Abdullah in particular."

On Wednesday, the Saudi king criticized the occupation of Iraq in what some observers viewed as an effort to distance himself from the embattled administration of President George W. Bush.

"In beloved Iraq, blood is being shed among brothers in the shadow of an illegitimate foreign occupation and ugly sectarianism threatens civil war," Abdullah said.

The State Department's number three official, Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, said Washington wanted "clarification" of the king's statement.

"We were a little surprised to see those remarks. We disagree with them," Burns told a congressional panel.

The United States views Saudi Arabia, the Middle East's most powerful Sunni regime, as a critical ally in trying to counter the rising influence of Shiite Iran.

But the Saudis fear the rise to power of Shiites in Iraq, with US support, and have shown signs of impatience over the Bush administration's perceived failure to push Israel for concessions that could pave the way for a peace deal with the Palestinians.