DUBAI, Oct 11: Saudi Arabia, eager to distance itself from the Western campaign against Afghanistan, asked British Prime Minister Tony Blair to cancel a planned visit to the kingdom, a Saudi-owned newspaper reported on Thursday.

London-based Asharq al-Awsat quoted “informed sources” in London as saying the kingdom told Blair, Washington’s partner in the strikes on Afghanistan, that it could not receive him when he began his Middle East trip to the Gulf state of Oman.

“The source explained that this was because the Saudi leadership was sensitive about its role and position in both the Arab and Islamic world,” the Arabic-language daily said.

Saudi Arabia has condemned the Sept 11 attacks on the United States but did not publicly take a stand on the US military operations against Afghanistan.

“We did have discussions about including Riyadh in the trip. It simply was not logistically possible,” Blair’s spokesman told journalists in Muscat. “But we hope there will be a chance to visit Riyadh in the near future.”

Blair arrived in Oman on Wednesday to inspect troops conducting military exercises and to drum up Arab support for the attacks. Asharq al-Awsat said he had been expected to visit Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, later in the day.

The newspaper said Blair telephoned Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah on the subject, but had apparently failed to persuade Saudi Arabia to receive him.

MEETS THREE ARAB LEADERS: Blair has met Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak, Oman’s Sultan Qaboos and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Zaid bin Sultan al-Nahayan on a two-day trip to try to shore up Arab support for the fragile US-led coalition.