Bush- Arafat not needed for peace

CRAWFORD, Texas -- President Bush said Friday the U.S. quest for peace in the Middle East can succeed without Yasser Arafat because "there are others in the region who can lead." He also said Iraqi President Saddam Hussein "needs to go" and he was confident he could build a coalition to make that happen.

Bush laid down U.S. markers on the Palestinian and Iraqi leaders before opening weekend talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a supporter of his Middle East policies. As Israel kept up its military offensive, the White House avoided criticizing it for not immediately following Bush's urgent request to pull back its forces.

The Middle East crisis and, to a lesser extent, Iraq are expected to dominate weekend talks between Bush and Blair.

The prime minister was having dinner Friday night at Bush's ranch with the president and his wife, Laura. Reflecting the special U.S.-British relationship, Bush invited Blair to join him for a top-secret CIA briefing Saturday.

Blair, who flew from Britain as the nation was mourning the death of the Queen Mother, wore a dark suit and tie when he stepped off a Marine helicopter at the ranch.

Bush, wearing blue jeans and work boots, drove Blair from the scene in a white pickup truck.

Blair's wife, Cherie, arrives today.

In advance of the talks, Bush said Arafat has repeatedly failed to keep his promises to stem terrorism and hasn't earned U.S. trust.

"He has let his people down and there are others in the region who can lead," Bush said, naming Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Powell's goals

Secretary of State "Colin Powell is going to go to the region to gather those leaders up and to start a process, hopefully, that will lead to lasting peace," Bush said in a pre-meeting interview with Britain's ITV network.

Aides said Bush's comments were meant to be seen as a signal that he has decided to distance himself from Arafat and rely on other Arab leaders to bring peace.

On Thursday, Bush urged Arab leaders such as Mubarak to fill a void left by Arafat -- and senior administration officials said Powell may meet with Palestinian leaders other than Arafat next week.

Two days before his departure, Powell still had no plans to meet with Arafat, though the possibility was not ruled out.

In the interview, Bush dismissed the "silly notion" that he hasn't been involved enough in the Middle East.

He also said that Israel-Palestinian talks led by President Clinton at Camp David, Md., in 2000 led to more violence.

"We've tried summits in the past, as you may remember," Bush said when asked why he was sending Powell on Sunday instead of personally trying to organize a peace summit.

"It wasn't all that long ago where a summit was called and nothing happened, and as a result we had significant intefadeh in the area," Bush said.