RIYADH - Saudi de facto ruler Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz vowed on Sunday to pursue the fight against terror, chiefly Al-Qaeda militants, in cooperation with the United States and other "friends."
"Saudi Arabia is continuing with its friends to (strive to) root out all factors of destruction and terrorism," Abdullah wrote in a message to US President George W. Bush on the occasion of US Independence Day.
Abdullah hailed "the United States` pivotal role" in combating the scourge, according to the official SPA news agency.
The crown prince also said he looked forward to working with Bush to resolve the decades-old Arab-Israeli conflict.
Saudi-US relations have warmed up again after a long period of strains following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States in which 15 of 19 hijackers were Saudi.
US officials, including FBI director Robert Mueller who visited Saudi Arabia in May, have praised Riyadh`s efforts in combating suspected Al-Qaeda militants who launched a spate of bloody attacks in the Gulf country two years ago.
Saudi security forces on Sunday killed Al-Qaeda`s purported new frontman here in the latest of successive offensives against terror suspects.
Abdullah last met the US president at his Texas ranch in April.
07/03/2005 19:17 GMT