US sees dispute between Iraq, Saudis

WASHINGTON, Apr 30 (Reuters) The refusal of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is a ''dispute between the two nations'', the White House said today, urging the Saudis to back the Iraqi government.

The Washington Post reported yesterday that Abdullah had refused to receive Maliki before a regional summit on Iraq security this week because the Sunni leader was skeptical of Maliki's Shi'ite government.

''At this point that is a dispute between the two nations,'' said White House spokesman Tony Snow.

''We think it's important for nations in the region to understand the importance of an Iraqi democracy that can stand up and also can stand as a bulwark against terrorism, which is a threat to all nations of the region whether they be Sunni, Shi'a or others,'' Snow told reporters.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is to attend the regional summit, told CNN on Sunday that ''there is no doubt that the Saudi government has concerns about the process of reconciliation in Iraq,'' specifically the inclusion of minority Sunnis.

''They have concerns about the Iraqi government's willingness to use its security forces in an even-handed fashion,'' she said.

She said Maliki has been addressing those concerns.

However, The Post reported today that a department of Maliki's office has been playing a leading role in the arrest and removal of senior Iraqi army and national police officers, some who had apparently worked too aggressively to combat violent Shi'ite militias.

The Bush government and the Saudi kingdom have increasingly been at odds in recent months. Abdullah last month said Iraq was under an ''illegitimate foreign occupation,'' a charge the White House rejected.

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