JEDDAH, 27 August — Prince Abdullah, the regent, yesterday blasted the deliberate anti-Saudi campaign by a section of Western media and said it would not deter the country from helping the fight against international terrorism. Addressing the weekly Council of Ministers here, Prince Abdullah reiterated the Kingdom’s desire to strengthen international efforts to fight terrorism within the framework of the United Nations.

Meanwhile, Prince Abdullah held talks here yesterday with Syrian President Bashar Assad on developments in the region, including the US threat to strike Iraq and situation in Palestine.

A statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency after the Saudi-Syrian summit talks warned that the military attack on Iraq would destabilize the region and cause a human catastrophe. The summit talks, which were attended by Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, and Syrian Vice President Abdul Haleem Khaddam, also discussed ways of strengthening bilateral ties.

Speaking to SPA after the Cabinet meeting, Acting Information Minister Dr. Madani Allaki said: “The Cabinet reviewed a report about a deliberate campaign by a section of Western media which aims at giving a distorted picture of Saudi Arabia’s moderate and balanced approach in its international relations.”

Prince Abdullah told the Cabinet that such campaigns, whose objectives and instigators are known to everyone, would not harm the Kingdom, Allaki said.

Prince Abdullah’s statement comes after hundreds of relatives of the victims of Sept. 11 attacks in the US filed a lawsuit against Saudi banks, charities and individuals, seeking billions of dollars in compensation.

US President George W. Bush is scheduled to meet with Saudi Ambassador to Washington Prince Bandar today to discuss strained bilateral ties and major regional issues including the move to attack Iraq.

“They will talk about how they can work together in the war on terrorism (and) the Middle East peace process,” according to White House national security spokesman Mike Anton. “The president appreciates their (the Saudis’) help,” he added.

Prince Bandar will hand over a message from Prince Abdullah to Bush and analysts believed the message would help bring Saudi-US relations back to normal.

Anton said Bandar would bring his wife and children to Bush’s 1,600-acre ranch in Crawford, Texas, where the US leader has entertained just a handful of world leaders. The ambassador will sit down with the US president and his National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, the spokesman said.

The Cabinet meeting also reviewed a security agreement reached by Israel and the Palestinians earlier this month which called for a Palestinian clampdown on militant groups in return for a phased Israeli pullout from reoccupied territories.

The Cabinet urged the international community to press Israel to honor the accord and speed up its implementation in all occupied Palestinian territories. It urged all parties involved to create a suitable atmosphere to establish a just and lasting peace in the region.

The meeting authorized the interior minister to sign a UN protocol on fighting cross-border smuggling of migrants and preventing illicit trade in women and children. The Cabinet agreed to the Kingdom’s joining the international agreement for exchange of publications and government documents. It also agreed to join the Arab Organization for Family, based in Tunis.

Allaki said the Cabinet authorized the director general of Saudi Standards Organization to sign a technical cooperation agreement with the Algerian standards institute. Also approved was a Cabinet panel’s proposal calling for the publication of verdicts issued by Saudi courts. The Cabinet appointed Abdullah Al-Salloum and Dr. Muhammad Al-Joraiwi as governorate undersecretaries for security affairs.