Saudi king vows to eliminate al-Qaeda

Abdullah also told US channel ABC in an interview due to be broadcast later Friday that Riyadh would work to bring down oil prices whose rise he admitted had helped Saudi Arabia while damaging other countries.

The new king, who took over from late half-brother Fahd in April, insisted Saudi Arabia was doing all it could to halt terror following the September 11 attacks on the United States, in which most of the hijackers were Saudis.

He said Saudi would "fight the terrorists and those who support them or condone their actions for 10, 20 or 30 years if we have to, until we eliminate this scourge".

Abdullah, seen by some observers as a relative moderate in the Saudi ruling family, unequivocally condemned al-Qaeda, led by the Saudi-born Osama bin Laden.

"Madness and evil, it is the work of the devil," he said.

According to official Saudi figures, at least 90 civilians, 47 security personnel and 121 militants have died in unrest linked to Islamic militants in Saudi Arabia and an ensuing crackdown on terror by the authorities.

The monarch also defended Saudi Arabia's oil policy. Abdullah said Saudi Arabia was now producing 10 million barrels a day to meet increasing demand on oil markets and bring down prices.

"Without a doubt we have benefited financially, but we believe that the damage to other countries is tremendous and we don't believe that the prices should be at these levels," the king said.

On the regional front, echoing statements by other Saudi officials, Abdullah said that Iran was a "friendly country" and at the same time expressed concern about the Shiite country's role in Iraq.