Fahd to Bush: Ready When You Are

By JANICE CASTRO/

President Bush has won Saudi approval for a possible new U.S.-led military strike against Saddam Hussein. Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi ambassador to the U.S., has passed the word to senior American officials from King Fahd. Intelligence studies have found that Iraq remains a regional threat, with larger stores of biological and chemical weapons than was thought at the end of the war. If Bush decides to act, he will want to finish the job in time to reap election rewards. The Saudis will support air strikes or naval operations, but not another massive gathering of troops on their soil. Since coalition members Egypt and Syria have withheld support for renewed operations, Fahd's approval provides an all-important local sponsor and staging area.

With reporting by Wendy Cole