U.S. takes issue with criticism from Saudi king

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration on Thursday rejected criticism by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, a key Arab ally who declared Wednesday that the United States was occupying Iraq illegally.

"In beloved Iraq," he said at an Arab League meeting in Riyadh, "blood is flowing between brothers, in the shadow of an illegitimate foreign occupation, and abhorrent sectarianism threatens a civil war."

In response, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, "It is not accurate to say that the United States is occupying Iraq."

Questioned at a Senate committee hearing Thursday about Abdullah's statement, Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns suggested it could have been translated incorrectly.

"We will seek clarification," he said.

The U.S. called its presence in Iraq an occupation until the June 2004 handover of sovereignty to the Iraqis. U.S. troops remained in Iraq with permission from the Iraqi government and a mandate from the United Nations, the U.S. says.

The Sunni-led governments of the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia, have long been suspicious of Iraq's Shiite leadership.