WASHINGTON (Reuters) The White House suggested on Tuesday that President Bush did not apologize to Saudi Arabia for U.S. media reports implying the Saudi government was not fully cooperating in the war on terrorism.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, the kingdom's effective ruler given the frail health of King Fahd, said in a speech that Bush began a recent conversation with him saying ``he was sorry'' for the reports.
While careful not to contradict Abdullah, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) said he had faithfully reported on the Oct. 25 conversation at the time when he said Bush thanked Saudi Arabia for its efforts, and the president said ``press articles citing differences between the United States and Saudi Arabia are simply incorrect.''
Pressed on whether Bush offered an apology for the media reports, Fleischer told reporters: ``There is no change in what is said about what the president's message was.
``Certainly anybody is entitled to have their interpretation of a phone call or conversation, but there is no change in what I said,'' the spokesman added. ``I described the president's conversation to you accurately.''
The Washington Post, reporting on a speech Abdullah gave on Sunday, quoted the prince as saying Bush was angered by the media reports, which have said Washington wants greater cooperation in the areas of law enforcement, freezing the assets of ``terrorist'' groups and military support.
``President Bush phoned me. He began the conversation by saying that he was sorry,'' it quoted Abdullah as saying.
The United States has accused Osama bin Laden (news - web sites), a Saudi-born militant who lost his Saudi citizenship in the mid-1990s, of masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon (news - web sites) in which some 4,800 people died.
Of the 19 hijackers who turned four commercial airplanes into flying missiles, U.S. officials believe 13 were Saudi nationals.
Despite a series of reports suggesting U.S. unhappiness with Saudi efforts to catch those behind the attacks, Bush has repeatedly said in public that he is satisfied.