Bush, Saudi Envoy to Discuss Relations August 27, 2002 02:04 AM ET Email this article Printer friendly version Purchase for Reprint By Patricia Wilson CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush gives Saudi Arabia's ambassador, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the royal treatment at his ranch on Tuesday to show the ties that bind the United States and its Arab ally are strong despite deep differences over Iraq and the Middle East. The visit comes as a decades-long relationship that ensures the flow of reasonably priced oil to the United States is tested in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks and as the world watches for potential signs of U.S. action to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The White House portrayed Prince Bandar's day at "Prairie Chapel" in central Texas as a family trip and a casual get together of two men at ease in each other's company. The ambassador will bring his wife and children. Bush and his wife, Laura, will host a lunch for them at their stone-clad ranch house, and the president will take the prince on a tour of some of his favorite spots on the 1,600-acre (650 hectare) spread. The visit will be a private one. Cameras have been excluded from the property, although the White House may release official photographs, and neither Bush nor the prince is expected to talk to the media afterward. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer called Prince Bandar "a very seasoned diplomat, ambassador to a very important country" and a man Bush enjoys. "He's a very affable fellow, very good humor, speaks English better than most Americans." Fleischer said their discussions would focus on an agenda much broader than just Iraq, including Middle East peace and the war on terrorism. "I can't make any predictions, but they're going to talk about the war on terror," he told reporters in Crawford, where Bush is spending August. "That could lead to a discussion of Iraq." TESTED TIES BETWEEN NATIONS Ties have been tested in the past year. At least 15 of the 19 hijackers involved in the Sept. 11 attacks were Saudis, the royal family has publicly differed with the United States on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Riyadh has said it would deny the United States access to military bases in the kingdom for any U.S. operation designed to overthrow Saddam. U.S.-Saudi ties were roiled further when a RAND Corp. analyst gave a briefing to a Pentagon advisory panel arguing that Saudi Arabia ought to be considered an adversary. "The Saudis are active at every level of the terror chain, from planners to financiers, from cadre to foot-soldier, from ideologist to cheerleader," the analyst said. "Saudi Arabia supports our enemies and attacks our allies." The Bush administration disavowed the sentiments, and White House officials have worked to contain the diplomatic fallout. A trillion-dollar lawsuit by relatives of Sept. 11 victims against Saudi officials, including members of the royal family, also has raised questions in the kingdom about the strength of U.S-Saudi ties, although the administration is not a party to the legal action. In April, Bush met at his ranch with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, who renewed demands that the United States restrain Israeli military action. He also warned that Washington's tolerance of Israeli military action against Palestinians threatened its ties to the Arab world. The Saudis presented an eight-point plan for Middle East peace, urging immediate political talks, an end to Israeli settlements in Palestinian-held areas and a multinational peacekeeping force. An invitation to the Bush ranch is a diplomatic prize previously awarded to just two other world leaders in addition to Abdullah -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Russian President Vladimir Putin.