Arab Summit on Kuwait Shot Down : Gulf crisis: Congressional leaders meet with Bush, who assures them that the U.S. buildup does not mean war. Democrats say there’s no need for a special session of Congress on the situation.

A “last chance” Arab summit on the Persian Gulf crisis was effectively torpedoed today, but President Bush said his new buildup in the region does not mean that war against Iraq is certain.

The summit idea was blown apart when Saudi Arabia declared that talks would be a waste of time until Iraq pulls out of Kuwait, the emirate it invaded Aug. 2 in a lightning strike that led to the biggest U.S. buildup since the Vietnam War.

Bush decided last week to nearly double the 230,000 U.S. troops now in Saudi Arabia and the gulf region, triggering fears of imminent war with Iraq.

But House Speaker Thomas S. Foley, after an extended meeting between Bush and key legislators in Washington today, told reporters:

“The President’s assertion is that this additional buildup does not represent a decision to use force but to have the capability.”

Foley and Senate Democratic leader George J. Mitchell made it clear they didn’t want Bush to rush into military action without giving U.N. sanctions against Iraq adequate time to work.

They also asked Bush to seek authorization from Congress before using force in the gulf but said he made no commitment to do so.

Asked about the possibility of calling Congress back from adjournment to discuss the deepening crisis, Foley said: “We have no present plans to do so.”

“Obviously that option remains open,” Mitchell said.

Administration officials fear a formal debate in Congress could underscore an erosion of U.S. support for Bush’s buildup in Saudi Arabia and the gulf region.

Prospects of an Arab summit being held were dealt another blow earlier in the day when Iraq said Baghdad wanted Arab leaders to scrap resolutions adopted at a Cairo summit eight days after its invasion of Kuwait.

The resolutions, adopted by 12 of 21 members of the Arab League, called for a pan-Arab military force to be sent to the gulf and demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Iraqi troops from the conquered emirate.

On Sunday, King Hassan of Morocco called for the convening of an Arab summit within a week, saying it was the last chance to avert war in the gulf.

Prince Saud al Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, said during a visit to Abu Dhabi today: “Any Arab meeting will yield no fruit, or result, unless Iraq agrees to abide by the decisions of the Cairo Arab summit and international resolutions which call for Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait.”

War jitters have been further fueled by the Pentagon’s announcement that U.S. Marines in Saudi Arabia would take part in a military exercise near the border of Iraqi-occupied Kuwait Sunday.

Iraqi Ambassador to the United States, Mohammed Mashat, accused Washington of “an unfortunate provocation and escalation without any reason” by staging the military exercise.

“There is no reason for all of this beating the drums of war,” he said.