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CNN Live Today

Saudi Crown Price Meets Bush in Texas

Aired April 25, 2002 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Again, the Middle East crisis, the war on terror, top the list of wide-ranging issues on the table in Crawford. Texas. The Saudi crown prince is there and so too is Major Garrett. Straightaway to Major again this afternoon. Major, good afternoon.

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill. The president and the Saudi crown prince involved in their meetings. It's going to break up in about an hour, hour and a half. And the Saudi crown prince will leave the Texas ranch. A short visit, but a substantive one.

From the Saudi perspective, it's all about getting the Bush administration to more sternly demand that Israel withdraw from where it remains in the occupied territories, and do what it can to end to sieges in Ramallah, where Yasser Arafat remains under the Israeli siege, and the Church of the Nativity.

For the Bush administration's part, it will ask the Saudi government to do more to publicly condemn acts of terrorism committed against Israeli civilians. One thing that's not on the table, Bill, is the Saudi government will not in any way put its oil exports to the United States on the table as a point of diplomatic or economic leverage.

Saudi officials here in Crawford have made it clear the Saudi government will continue to maintain stable supplies on the world oil markets and will in no way use that as a tool to get the United States to change its policy, vis-a-vis Israel.

We have some pictures of the crown prince arriving at the Crawford, Texas ranch of the president. The president, dressed up formally to greet the crown prince, who arrived in Waco by plane but did not take the offered helicopter ride to the president's ranch, as other world leaders have. We're told by Saudi officials the crown prince simply doesn't like helicopters. He took a rather ornately decorated bus to the president's Crawford ranch. They are there now.

Afterwards, when the crown prince leaves, the president, we are led to believe, will come out and take some questions from reporters, offering his assessment of the meeting. The U.S. officials say in no way are relations between the two nations jeopardized in any way. But clearly, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has added a new degree of tension -- Bill. BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Major, thank you. Major Garrett there in Crawford, Texas. Sounds like there are some children behind you there, some school children or something nearby. Major, thanks.

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