March 21, 2008 Saudi King Urges US
to Press Israel
for Mideast Peace Deal
Riyadh
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Friday urged visiting US Vice
President Dick Cheney to put pressure on Israel to seal a peace deal
with the Palestinians before US President George W. Bush leaves
office in January 2009, official sources said.
Cheney, on a 10-day regional tour, arrived Friday in Saudi Arabia
where he met Abdullah at the king's al-Janadriya horse farm near
Riyadh.
The sources said Saudi Arabia is not happy with the "slow" pace of
US efforts to push the Middle East peace process by putting pressure
on Israel to reach a peace agreement and end the building of
settlements and excavations around al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.
Abdullah and Cheney also discussed Iran's nuclear programme and its
growing regional influence. The king confirmed his opposition to any
US military strike or such threat against Iran, the sources said.
Saudi Arabia, along with other Gulf Arab countries, sees
negotiations as the best way to ease tension between the US and
Iran.
Abdullah also told Cheney that the Middle East should be free of
nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. The Saudis
say any nuclear non-proliferation efforts should include Israel,
which many in the Arab world suspect has a secret nuclear programme.
The situation in Iraq was also discussed.
The US wants Saudi Arabia to step up formal ties with the Iraqis by
sending an ambassador to Baghdad and encouraging visits by ministers
and officials.
Washington wants to see its Arab allies, such as Riyadh and Cairo,
upgrade ties with Baghdad as a way of containing Iran's fledgling
influence in Iraq, according to US and Arab officials.
Saudi diplomats visited Baghdad at the end of last year to explore
the possibility of opening an embassy there.
Washington and Riyadh disagree over the Iraqi government led by Shia
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, with Saudis saying al-Maliki is not
doing enough to promote reconciliation between the country's Shia
and Sunni Arabs and is giving Iran a chance to deepen its foothold
in Iraq.
The political standoff in Lebanon, resulting from the failure of its
parliament to elect a president, was also discussed at the talks.
The Saudis are key players in Lebanon with financial muscle and
political influence on some factions there.
Spiraling oil prices were on the agenda in the talks, with both
countries agreeing on restoring the balance in oil markets.
The US has called for the Organization of Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC) to increase the output to curb spiraling prices,
but OPEC, of which Saudi Arabia is the biggest producer, has refused
to heed the calls.
Cheney has asked the king to press the organization for an output
increase to ease pressures on the US economy, according to sources
at the US embassy in Riyadh.
Abdullah presented Cheney with the country's highest honour.
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