Bush gives Saddam a break, shelves Arab-Israeli conflict

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is pursuing a broad approach to the Middle East, skirting such hot spots as Iraq and the Israel-Palestinian conflict and reaching out to other states in the region with longstanding ties to the United States. The White House plans to restore close U.S. ties to Gulf allies and focus on regional defense. This will include increased monitoring of Iraq.

At the same time, officials said, Bush will avoid personal involvement in the Arab-Israeli conflict. They said Bush would not even focus on the issue before the summer.

Officials said U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has recommended a low-profile U.S. policy in the Middle East that stresses Washington's strategic interests in the region, Middle East Newsline reported. They said this differs from then-President Bill Clinton, who made the Arab-Israeli peace process the priority.

But the officials said Powell opposes what they term the ambitious plans to overthrow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. They said Powell and his aides worked last week to lower the expectations of the Iraqi National Congress.

The State Department message was that the United States would act to stop Iraqi weapons of mass destruction rather than overthrow Saddam.

"I'm going to be telling everybody in the region, I'm also going to be discussing with our friends in the [United Nations] Security Council, the absolute necessity of making sure that he is not allowed to simply walk away from this and pursue weapons of mass destruction," Powell said.

Meanwhile Powell has decided to consult with Syria in an effort to round out U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Powell will visit Damascus during his five-day Middle East tour. The tour will begin on Feb. 23 and will include Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, the Palestinian Authority and Saudi Arabia.

Powell decided to include Damascus in a visit that will last several hours to ensure that President Bush has a complete picture of the region, officials said.

"Syria is an important nation in the region and an important player in this whole process and so I thought it was very, very appropriate for me as part of this quick trip to the Middle East, my first trip, to also stop in Syria for just a few hours,'' Powell said.

In Baghdad, the official Iraqi News Agency said seven people were injured and 17 homes destroyed in U.S. and British air strikes in the south.