The US and Saudi Arabia are set to study possible re-adjustments in the US military presence in the kingdom that could see some air assets redeployed to other Gulf states but would not amount to a US pull-out from the kingdom, according to western diplomats in the area.
The move would ease tensions between the US and Saudi military establishments. The kingdom has put constraints on US action, banning bombers from using Saudi territory to attack Iraq several times since the 1991 Gulf war.
The US, mindful of Saudi sensitivity, did not ask the kingdom to use bases there for military strikes against Afghanistan, although it is believed to have been using a command and control centre near Riyadh.
"The US has been engaging the leadership to see what they think needs to be done. Adjustments could mean that air assets which cannot be used here might be best moved around and put to better use," said a western diplomat. "But nothing is likely to happen."
Saudi officials at the week-end echoed US official denials of reports that they may ask the US to leave Saudi Arabia. But they said that the military presence was under constant review by both sides.
"You do reassess the presence. We've been doing it since 1991, so if you only fly a reduced number of missions in the no-fly zones in Iraq, you may not need all the aircraft," said a Saudi official. "But there's no demand on the US to leave. It's not how you bring [Iraqi President] Saddam Hussein into compliance with the UN, and it plays right into the hands of Osama bin Laden."
A key aim of the Saudi-born Mr bin Laden, who is accused of the September 11 attacks on the US, is to oust the estimated 5,000 US troops from the kingdom.
US jets use Saudi territory as a base from which to patrol no-fly zones over Iraq. In recent years, however, the Saudis have grown increasingly uncomfortable with the reliance on the US, and with US military strikes against Iraq.
An end to the US military presence in the kingdom would be a popular move domestically but would send the wrong signal to Iraq.
Bill Clinton, former US president, speaking in Jeddah on Sunday, said the US presence was still needed to respond rapidly to regional threats.
Last year, a sophisticated new US air command and control centre near Riyadh opened as bilateral tensions rose over US support for Israel. Strains were aggravated by the September 11 attacks and the involvement of Saudis apparently recruited by Mr bin Laden.
US President George W. Bush has praised Saudi co-operation in the anti-terror campaign, but US lawmakers have expressed dismay at the level of Saudi assistance. Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said last week that the US should consider finding a more "hospitable" place for its troops.
In an apparent response to Mr Levin's comments, Saudi officials told the Washington Post that the kingdom may no longer want the US military to remain.
Colin Powell, US secretary of state, yesterday said he had "heard no such suggestion of the kind".
"We have not been handed an eviction notice or any warning of an eviction notice," he said. "Some discussion has taken place . . . but nothing of the nature suggested by the story.
"In my conversations with Saudi leaders as recently as just about four or five days ago with Prince Saud [al-Faisal, Saudi foreign minister], I've had no suggestion from them that they were about to ask us to leave. I'm not aware that the Saudi family is under such great pressure from the population for us to leave." Additional reporting by Peronet Despeignes, Washington