WASHINGTON, June 13 (UPI) -- President George Bush and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal met in the Oval Office on Thursday on the Middle East peace process, but the White House stayed closed-lipped on both direction and substance of their discussions.
The meeting, which came amid speculation that the administration was preparing a peace strategy that would include a provisional Palestinian state, was general in nature and part of the president's ongoing consultation process, the White House said.
"I'm listening to lots of opinions," Bush said later in Oval Office comments following a meeting with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. "I think it would be wise people not spend a lot of time speculating."
Bush said whatever plan he develops would be aimed at the vision of two states living side by side in peace.
All parties -- Israelis, Palestinians, Arabs and others -- need to act responsibly to help bring that about, and
the Palestinian people need a government that serves their needs.
Bush said the Middle East was one of the subjects he discussed with Howard.
"... The two of them had an exchange of views about the best way to bring peace to the Middle East," spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters earlier about the talks. "And what's so constructive here is that the United States and Saudi Arabia are approaching the problem of bringing peace to the Middle East in rather similar ways, and that is a very helpful change in events in the Middle East -- the United States and Saudi partnership, as well as, of course, the work the United States is doing with Egypt and Jordan and other nations as well as Israel.
"And it was a productive meeting.
"Again, the whole purpose of all these meetings is for the president in private to receive the consultation, the advice."
Al-Faisal put a spark to the stalled peace engine earlier this year when he proposed full Arab recognition of Israel in return for its returning to its pre-1967 war boundaries. The Arab League later endorsed the proposition and President Bush expressed interest in the idea.
The president also endorsed the idea of a Palestinian state, but argued the Palestinian Authority of Yasser Arafat needed to be reformed to effectively combat terrorism and also serve the needs and aspirations of the Palestinian people.
Arab leaders have also endorsed the reform call.
Thursday's 20-minute meeting with al-Faisal was added to the president's schedule after his remarks Monday that conditions for an expected ministerial summit meeting this summer were not right at the moment because "no one has confidence" in the current administration of Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak last week unsuccessfully pressed the president to set a date certain for a Palestinian state to give hope to the Palestinian people and to help dampen conditions for continued violence in the region, which has claimed more than 1,000 Palestinian and Israeli lives since eruption of the latest intifada on Sept. 28, 2000.
Earlier this week Bush, after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, again reiterated his position on the need for meaningful reform of the Palestinian Authority. He appeared to endorse Sharon's position that Palestinian terrorist attacks on Israel must end before substantive talks can go forward.
Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an interview published in an Arabic language newspaper in London, said this week "it may be necessary to have a provisional state" to kick-start peace negotiations.
Speaking later in Canada, where he was attending a Group of Eight industrial nations meeting, Powell said the idea was one of many the administration was mulling.
Speculation is rife that Bush is preparing a peace plan, but White House spokesmen will only say the president is listening to a variety of opinions and ideas.
"They expect the United States to listen," Fleischer said. "They want the United States to listen.
"I don't think they expect the United States to do 100 percent of everything they ask the United States to do, but they want to know that the process the president is following to bring peace to the Mideast is an inclusive one, is a multilateral one, is one where their thoughts have a way of being expressed in private directly with the president of the United States, so that when he announces something or has something more to say, it will incorporate elements of what he's heard."
Arafat, whom Bush repeatedly says must do more to stop terror against Israel, has not yet met with Bush, and there appears to such meeting in in the offing.
Fleischer said nonetheless the Palestian leader was being informed through parties that have met with U.S. officials.
The Saudi prince was scheduled to meet with congressional leaders before returning home.
