Washington: US President George W Bush has conveyed to Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar bin Sultan that "the world will be safer and better off without Saddam Hussain", though he has not yet taken any decision on Iraq.

Presidential Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said the talks, which were held on August 27 in the presence of National Security Adviser Condolezza Rice, revolved around a variety of topics that included the war against terrorism, the situation in the Middle East and the issue of child custody cases in Saudi Arabia, particularly those related to American citizens.

Asked whether the Saudis share the same views about Saddam Hussain as President Bush, Fleischer claimed, "Saudi Arabia's position has been, if you have listened to Adel Al Jubir (the Crown Prince's foreign policy adviser), for example, that Saddam Hussain is a threat."

"The President stressed that he has made no decision, that he will continue to engage in consultations with Saudi Arabia and other nations about steps in the Middle East, steps in Iraq," Fleischer added.

Earlier, during a conversation with the Saudi Crown Prince a day before, Bush had clarified that the recent statement of a leading US Defence expert, describing Saudi Arabia as "no friend of the United States" and a "kernel of evil", had nothing to do with the views of any senior government administration official, including himself, the Defence Secretary and the Vice President.

PTI