Powell still planning Saudi trip despite explosions

US Secretary of State Colin Powell was still planning to visit Saudi Arabia today despite a series of explosions in the capital that targeted Westerners and the headquarters of a joint US-Saudi owned company.

Attackers shot their way into three compounds housing Westerners and Saudis and set off car bombs, officials said.

At least one person was killed and 60 injured, a hospital official said.

A US official travelling with Mr Powell, who is currently in neighbouring Jordan, said that the Secretary of State would go to Saudi Arabia today as scheduled.

Mr Powell is seeking the Saudis’ help in harnessing militant groups and in promoting Palestinian reform in the latest stop on a Middle East tour that has already taken him to Israel, the West Bank and Egypt.

The string of attacks occurred in Riyadh in quick succession late yesterday and early today.

Saudi and US officials said they suspected the al-Qaida terror network was behind the bombings.

Yesterday, Mr Powell tried to overcome Arab scepticism about Israel’s intentions with assurances that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had begun implementing a blueprint for peace with the Palestinians.

Referring to Mr Sharon’s decision to release dozens of prisoners, remove some road blocks to travel by Palestinians to their jobs in Israel and to transfer funds to the Palestinians, Mr Powell suggested actions were what mattered in Israel’s approach to the blueprint.

“It makes no difference whether you have a word ‘accept’ or not have a word ‘accept’,” he said yesterday in Cairo at a joint news conference with Egypt’s foreign minister, Ahmed Maher.

During Sunday visits with the principals to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mr Sharon presented Mr Powell a list of comments on the so-called “road map” to Israeli-Palestinian peace but did not specifically accept it.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas accepted it as written despite what he considered shortcomings.

“I think what we are seeing is a willingness on the part of the Israeli side to begin moving,” Mr Powell said in an interview with Nile Television.

He also said Israel would maintain some road blocks “as long as there is a concern with respect to security”.

Maher, the Egyptian minister, appeared unconvinced by Mr Powell’s views.

“It is important for both sides to indicate their intention to implement what is in the road map,” he said. “The word ‘accept’ is not a dirty word. I think it will be a useful word.”

And while Egypt offered to help the US make peace between Israel and the Palestinians and to train Palestinian police, Egypt would not go along with Washington’s attempt to sidestep Yasser Arafat, long-time symbol of the Palestinian movement.

Mr Arafat is the leader of the Palestinian people, Maher said, and “we continue to recognise him as the leader of the Palestinian people”.

US President George W Bush has ruled out dealing with Mr Arafat, branding him as a failed leader entwined with terror attacks against Israel.

Mr Arafat was not at the table when Mr Powell met on Sunday on the West Bank with Mr Abbas to win his acceptance of the blueprint for peacemaking.