(Washington Post) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made it clear yesterday that broad international support is not a prerequisite for U.S. action. "It is less important to have unanimity than it is to be making the right decisions and doing the right thing." An April visit by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah was a near disaster, sources said. Bush appeared poorly briefed about Abdullah's peace proposal for the Middle East, and Abdullah told others he was insulted. Before that meeting, Abdullah had a tense conversation with Cheney over Iraq. Abdullah confronted Cheney over his concern that officials in Cheney's office had been spreading the word that the Saudis would privately back a war with Iraq despite their public protestations. "No, the answer is no. I said 'No' in Saudi Arabia, I say 'No' now and I will say 'No' tomorrow," Abdullah told Cheney.
2002-08-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive