ARAB AFFAIRS - Sept 25 - Saudis And Israelis Deny Secret Summit Took Place.

Israel

and Saudi Arabia issues blunt denials that a new-found relationship has been sealed at a secret summit of their leaders, after the first signs emerged in recent days of an unexpected rapprochement between the two countries. Responding to a report in the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronothy that he had met a senior Saudi official, possibly King Abdullah, in mid-September, PM Ehud Olmert told the newspaper's Ynet web site: I neither met the Saudi king nor any other official who should touch off sensations in the press". Israeli officials, while offering no information on the reported contacts, nevertheless echoed previous comments by Olmert in which he praised the Saudis for their positive stance on big issues confronting the Middle East. Saudi officials denied reports of secret contacts when they first surfaced. Officials said Saudi Arabia would only risk direct contact with Israel if a peace agreement with the Palestinians appeared within reach - which is currently far from the case. The kingdom, which has never had diplomatic ties with Israel, has been hoping to revive its 2002 peace initiative that offers the Israelis a normalisation of relations with all Arab states in return for withdrawal from territory they occupied in the1967 Middle East war. But Saudi analysts close to the government said the leadership in Riyadh saw little prospect of a revival of the peace process at this point, given the weakness of Olmert's government, the lack of active US diplomacy and the dominance of the radical Hamas group in the Palestinian territories. "It's the worst time for Saudi Arabia to meet with Israelis - we'd get bad publicity and for no good reason", said one analyst. Israel has in the past criticised Saudi support for militant groups such as the Palestinian Hamas. However, Israeli officials discern a number of shared interests as both sides confront the rise of radicalism in the region. "If you look at the three central issues facing the region - Iran's nuclear programme, Lebanon and the situation in the PA", said one Israeli official, "Saudi Arabia, from our point of view, is fundamentally on the constructive side". The shift in the Israeli view of Saudi Arabia appeared to be related to Saudi criticism of the Shi'ite Lebanese group Hizbollah at the start of the war in Lebanon, a belief that its backing for Hamas had waned, and a perception that a nuclear Iran would pose a threat to both countries. Olmert fuelled the speculation about high-level contacts in an interview in Yedioth Ahronoth on Sept 25 in which he said: I am very impressed with the various acts and statements connected with Saudi Arabia, both those that were made publicly and others as well. I am very impressed with King Abdullah's insight and sense of responsibility". Asked if secret talks were being held between the two sides, he replied: I don't have to answer every question".