WASHINGTON Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah said in an interview published on Monday that Iran and Iraq should not be targeted in an expanded U.S. war on terrorism despite U.S. President George W. Bush's description of them as part of an "axis of evil."

"I do not believe that the war on terrorism applies to Iran and Iraq," the crown prince and de facto Saudi Arabian ruler said in a *** Time *** magazine interview posted on the publication's web site.

Bush, in his State of the Union address on Jan. 29, branded Iraq and Iran, along with North Korea, as an "axis of evil" committed to developing weapons of mass destruction and a direct threat to U.S. security.

Abdullah told *** Time *** that Iran, in fact, has been a stabilizing influence in the Persian Gulf region.

"Iran is contributing to stability in the Persian Gulf region. In the past there were tensions, but these have been worked out," Abdullah said.

Asked what he would say to an American plan to use force to topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, Crown Prince Abdullah said he already had conveyed his thoughts to Washington but declined to be more specific.

"I have given an answer on this matter to President Bush, and that is where my answer will remain," he said in the interview.

On the subject of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, Abdullah told *** Time *** that international peacekeepers were needed to help curb the violence so peace efforts could resume.

"We can separate the two sides and introduce peacekeepers. And then it will be time to pressure both sides to return to the negotiating table," Abdullah said.