Bilateral relations, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Iran focal point of talks between Cheney, King Abdullah

U.S. VP says no rush in Iraq troop pullout

Cheney: We support peace process but won't press Israel

Syria ready to have peace with Israel after Russian negotiations between Syria, Lebanon, Israel

King of Bahrain discusses peace progress, regional developments with British PM

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and U.S. Vice President Richard Cheney held a meeting at the king's ranch in Al-Janadriyah.

During the meeting, they discussed the latest developments in the region including the Palestinian issue and the situation in both Iraq and Lebanon.

The talks also dealt with prospects of cooperation between the two countries and ways of booting them in all fields to serve the interests of the two countries and peoples.

On the Saudi side, the meeting was attended by Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Governor of Riyadh Region; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister; Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Eng. Ali bin Ibrahim Alnaimi, Minister of petroleum and Mineral Resources, and Saudi Ambassador to the United States of America Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir.

On the US side, it was attended by U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom Ford Fraker and other US senior officials.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia urged US Vice President Dick Cheney to pressure Israel to seal a peace deal with the Palestinians before US President George W Bush leaves office in January 2009, official Saudi sources said.

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 program and its growing regional influence. The king confirmed his opposition to any US military strike or 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 non-proliferation efforts should include Israel, which many in the Arab world suspect has a secret nuclear program.

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 to contain Iran’s 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 Shiite Prime Minister Nouri 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 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 has refused to heed the calls.

Vice President Dick Cheney warned against large U.S. troop cuts that could jeopardize recent security gains in Iraq, as he marked the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion with a two-day visit to the country.

Cheney used words like "phenomenal" and "remarkable turnaround" to describe a drop in violence in Iraq, and he hailed recently passed legislation aimed at keeping Iraq on a democratic path.

"It would be a mistake now to be so eager to draw down the force that we risk putting the outcome in jeopardy, and I don't think we'll do that," Cheney said after spending the day zigzagging through barricades and checkpoints to get to meetings in and out of the heavily guarded Green Zone. He spent the night at a U.S. military base; the second overnight stay in Iraq for the vice president _ the highest-ranking official to do so. Reporters accompanying him were not allowed to disclose the location. Last May, Cheney stayed at Camp Speicher, a base near former leader Saddam Hussein's hometown and about 100 miles north of Baghdad.

"It is good to be back in Iraq," Cheney, dressed in a suit and dark cowboy boots, said after his meeting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "It's especially significant, I think, to be able to return this week as we mark the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the campaign that liberated the people of Iraq from Saddam Hussein's tyranny, and launched them on the difficult but historic road to democracy."

He acknowledged that there is still a lot of difficult work to be done in Iraq, where 160,000 troops are deployed and the U.S. death toll is about to top 4,000. His own motorcade, escorted by Humvees manned by troops with machine guns, never ventured farther than about a mile outside the Green Zone.

"But as we move forward, the Iraqi people should know that they will have the unwavering support of President Bush and the United States in consolidating their democracy," Cheney said.

Security has improved markedly since last summer, when the last of five Army brigades arrived in Iraq to complete the president's buildup of 30,000 troops. One brigade has already returned home and the four others are to leave by July. What remains unclear is whether Bush will order additional drawdowns in the final months of his presidency.

Bush's decision last January to increase troops put to rest any notion, "here inside Iraq or in the region, that people could `wait us out,'" Cheney said.

Shortly after the vice president arrived at the base for the night, there was a sustained burst of 50-caliber machine gunfire in downtown Baghdad. Earlier in the day, a suicide bomber killed 39 people in Karbala and a bomb in a parked car in a Baghdad neighborhood killed three civilian bystanders.

Iraq was not on Cheney's announced schedule for a 10-day Mideast trip that includes stops in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Turkey.

Cheney was flanked at a news conference by Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus, who are working on a status report on the war and will testify to Congress next month.

"We're keenly aware of the strain and the stress that these extended deployments have put on soldiers and their families and we would love to draw down further, but that is dependent on conditions on the ground," said Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

Cheney deemed the war a "difficult, challenging, but nonetheless successful endeavor" that has been "well worth the effort."

In Washington, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid accused Cheney of minimizing the costs and consequences of the war.

"It would be far better," Reid said, "if the vice president would explain how his administration intends to use its final months to find Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda's senior leadership _ neither of whom are in Iraq _ as well as how it intends to win the war in Afghanistan and address our military's readiness challenges that leave us unprepared for the next crisis."

Cheney did not cross paths with the GOP's expected presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, who left Baghdad after a weekend visit.

The vice president brushed off Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent visit to Baghdad and said it was not widely discussed at his meetings with Iraqi leaders. Cheney said U.S. allies in the Arab world should send ambassadors to Iraq as a counter to Iran, which is seeking a greater sphere of influence in the Middle East and is accused of supporting terrorists and extremists in Iraq.

In a country with the world's third-largest known crude oil reserves, Cheney acknowledged that the declining value of the U.S. dollar was a factor in helping drive up global oil prices. He said another problem was that there was not a lot of excess capacity at a time when India, China and growing oil-producing nations themselves are seeking more energy.

Cheney met for about an hour with al-Maliki. He lauded the Iraqi government's legislative successes, but he also pointed to items left undone. The Iraqis do not yet have a law for sharing the nation's oil wealth among the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, a law that the Bush administration believes will trigger multinational energy companies to invest in exploration and production in Iraq.

Also unfinished is a plan for new provincial elections _ a subject discussed as Cheney lunched on chicken, rice and humus with Iraq's presidential council. The three-member council, which must give its nod to laws passed by the Iraqi parliament, rejected a plan for new elections last month, shipping it back to the legislature.

US Vice President Dick Cheney met Oman's Sultan Qaboos for talks expected to focus on US efforts to contain Iran's influence and curb its nuclear program.

The two leaders reviewed "cooperation between Oman and the United States in all fields in light of the close relations" between their countries, the sultanate's state news agency ONA without giving details.

As well as Iran, which faces Oman across the Straits of Hormuz entrance to the oil-rich Gulf, the broader US-led "war on terrorism" was also expected to figure in the Qaboos meeting, a senior aide said in Washington.

"They sit in kind of the eye of the storm of that part of the world, and are both observers and participants in all the major issues there," the adviser said in a pre-trip briefing held on condition that he not be named.

Cheney was expected to thank the sultan for his "quiet but robust support" on Iraq, Afghanistan, and the broader US-led war on terrorism launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the aide said.

But he stressed that Iran "has got to be very high" on the agenda for the talks, which come eight months before US presidential elections.

"The Omanis, like a lot of other people, are concerned by the escalating tensions between the rest of the world community and Iran, by some of Iran's activities, particularly in the nuclear field, but outside its borders as well," the official said.

Oman, an ally of the United States, has also consistently maintained good relations with Tehran, and Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Muscat last May.

Muscat is anxious to avoid an increase in tension in the Gulf over Tehran's refusal to halt its uranium enrichment program, resulting in a tense standoff with the West, including three sets of UN sanctions.

Washington insists it seeks a diplomatic solution to the standoff, but Cheney warned in 2005 that Israel might decide to use military force against Iran's nuclear program.

US President George W. Bush claims that Iran is racing to develop nuclear weapons, something denied by Tehran, which has signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and that it has the right to pursue it.

Ahead of talks with the sultan, Cheney took a break from the strains of Middle East diplomacy and headed into waters off Oman's coast for some deep-sea fishing aboard a borrowed 60-foot (18-metre) royal yacht.

His Majesty King Abdullah of Amman held talks with Sultan Qaboos of Oman, mainly addressing means to enhance bilateral relations and the latest regional developments.

King Abdullah, who arrived in Omani capital of Muscat on a two-day official visit, reviewed with Sultan Qaboos issues of concern to the two countries, focusing on regional developments.

The two leaders addressed developments in the Middle East region and efforts exerted to achieve peace and security, underlining the importance of continued coordination.

The Monarch and Sultan Qaboos expressed keenness on maintaining coordination and ongoing consultations between Jordan and Oman, especially in relation to issues that can foster Arab solidarity and serve the Arab nation.

King Abdullah is accompanied on the visit by Their Royal Highnesses Prince Feisal, Prince Hashem and Prince Ghazi Ben Mohammad, the King’s special adviser and personal envoy.

Vice President Dick Cheney met with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai to discuss ways the country's fragile government can counter rising threats from al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.

Vice president Dick Cheney arrived in Afghanistan to discuss the nation's push for prosperity.

Cheney flew to the Afghan capital from Oman and took a helicopter straight to the presidential palace where he greeted Karzai with a hearty handshake. The two strolled down a red carpet together, reviewing troops before heading inside for their talks.

Reporters were not allowed to disclose Cheney's visit until he had arrived safely.

More than 8,000 people died in Afghanistan last year, making it the most violent year since 2001 when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan to oust the hard-line Taliban regime after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Osama bin Laden is believed to be hiding in rugged, mountainous areas along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

"The president asked the vice president to meet with President Karzai in advance of the NATO summit to discuss progress in a democratic Afghanistan as well as the work that lies ahead, especially in the south," said Cheney spokeswoman Lea Ann McBride.

She said Cheney would talk with Karzai about ways the U.S. would continue to help Afghanistan become a more prosperous, stable nation. The vice president also is expected to meet with troops stationed in Afghanistan.

It is Cheney's fourth vice presidential trip to Afghanistan. Cheney, who is on a 10-day trip to the Middle East, visited Iraq earlier this week.

Problems in Afghanistan will be a key topic at the NATO summit early next month in Romania. NATO's force is about 43,000-strong, but commanders have asked for more combat troops for areas in southern Afghanistan where the insurgency is the most active.

Troops from Canada, Britain, the Netherlands and the United States have done the majority of the fighting against Taliban militants. France, Spain, Germany and Italy are stationed in more peaceful parts of the country.

Canada, which has 2,500 troops in Kandahar province, recently threatened to end its combat role unless other NATO countries provide an additional 1,000 troops to help the anti-Taliban effort there. Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay said he expected a pledge for troops before or during the summit April 2-4 in Bucharest, Romania.

The U.S. contributes one-third of the NATO force, and also has about 12,000 other U.S. troops operating independently from NATO. The Pentagon says that by late summer, there will be about 32,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan -- up from about 28,000 now.

The bulk of the increase is the 3,200 Marines President Bush has agreed to send. About 2,300 troops of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, have begun arriving at their new base in Kandahar, the Taliban's former power base.

Cheney's first vice presidential trip to Afghanistan was in December 2004. In December 2005 and February 2007, Cheney visited Afghanistan as well as neighboring Pakistan.

An official who briefed reporters during the trip from Oman to Afghanistan said Cheney wanted to compare notes with Karzai to make the upcoming NATO summit a success. The U.S. wants NATO members to issue a strong statement at the summit pledging a long-term commitment to help Afghanistan become a stable nation and vowing to support the Afghans on the military front as well as in efforts to rebuild the nation.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity as a condition of discussing the private meeting agenda, said Cheney and Karzai would discuss the overall situation in Afghanistan, but particularly the violence plaguing the southern part of the country. The official said the vice president would urge Karzai to continue to work with Pakistan in the wake of the recent elections there and to and stay focused on problems of extremists and terrorists moving back and forth across the mountainous border separating the two countries.

The vice president also planned to discuss steps the U.S. thinks the Afghan government needs to take to extend its governance beyond Kabul and to conduct successful elections next year, the official said, as well as addressing ways the Afghan government can curb corruption and deal with rising production of the poppy crop used to make narcotic drugs that help fund insurgent operations

Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in Israel, where he pledged America's "enduring and unshakable" commitment to the security of the Jewish state as it approaches its 60th anniversary.

Cheney met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to kick off a weekend of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

"Our two countries have been more than just strong allies. We've been friends, special friends," Cheney said at a news conference with Olmert.

"Both our nations share the ideals of liberty, equality, human dignity and representative government."

"Both our nations have stood firm against forces of terror and intimidation. ... We are natural allies," Cheney added.

He reaffirmed that the United States was committed to Israel's "right to defend itself against terrorism and rocket attacks and other threats from forces dedicated to Israel's destruction."

In turn, Olmert called Cheney "a very good supporter and friend of the state of Israel." Watch Cheney discuss the U.S.-Israel relationship »

The Israeli prime minister said the two leaders would discuss Iran and peace negotiations with the Palestinians as well as Syria and Hezbollah.

"We will always be happy to hear your advice and your observations about these very important issues, which are on the top of the agenda of the state of Israel," Olmert told Cheney.

Cheney planned to attend an Easter service Sunday in Jerusalem before heading to Ramallah in the West Bank for talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Cheney's visit comes on the heels of a similar trip by President Bush, who pushed renewed Mideast peace talks that he hoped would achieve a resolution before his final year in office ends.

Cheney reiterated Bush's goals, saying Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad "too can be certain of America's goodwill in this process."

"It's not America's role to dictate the outcome, but we will help with the negotiations and provide all the support and encouragement we can," Cheney said. "We want to see a resolution to the conflict and an end to the terrorism that has caused so much grief for the Israelis."

Southern Israeli towns have faced a near-daily stream of rocket attacks from Palestinian militants in Gaza for months. In response, Israeli troops launched a five-day push into Gaza this month that left at least 110 Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers dead.

And earlier this month, a man armed with an automatic weapon and a handgun slipped into a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem and killed eight students.

"We must not and will not ignore the darkening shadows of the situations in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Syria and in Iran and the forces there working to derail the hopes of the world," Cheney said.

A delegation of Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, also arrived in Jerusalem on Saturday.

"This congressional visit will give us the opportunity to discuss important issues of mutual concern between our two countries, the peace process and regional security, including Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon," Boehner said in a statement.

US Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in Ramallah for talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas as part of an Easter weekend effort to revive moribund Middle East peace talks.

Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with his Syrian counterpart on Middle East peace efforts at the start of a mini-tour of the region, Syria's state news agency SANA said.

Lavrov and Walid Muallem in their meeting stressed the need "to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, including on the Syrian-Israeli track", it said.

They also called for a reunification of Palestinian ranks, following last June's deadly clashes in which the Islamist movement Hamas evicted Palestinian president's mainstream Fatah party from the Gaza Strip.

Lavrov was to meet later with Hamas officials, in particular its political supreme Khaled Meshaal who lives in exile in Syria.

Turning to the political crisis in Lebanon, left without a president since November, the two ministers said the Lebanese should be left to reach a solution but also expressed support for Arab League mediation, SANA said.

On the bilateral front, Lavrov, who flew in earlier the same day and was to meet President Bashar al-Assad.

Muallem signed an accord to ease visa terms between their states, especially for diplomats and officials. Peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians were kick-started last November at a US-brokered conference in Annapolis, near Washington after a seven-year hiatus.

In London, Gordon Brown has welcomed HM King Hamad bin Essa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain to 10 Downing Street.

HM hailed the ever-growing bilateral ties and underscored the importance of exchanging official visits in boosting cooperation and benefiting from economic, financial and banking expertise.

Financial and banking developments and issues of common interest were also reviewed through the audience.