Dick Cheney meets Saudi King in oil, Middle East talks
Saturday, 22 Mar 2008 12:08
The US vice-president arrived in Saudi Arabia after trips to Iraq and Afghanistan
In Focus
Alex Stevenson is not surprised Turkey's politics is said to be in a state of "semi-permanent crisis" following the reprieve of the country's governing party. Full Story
US vice-president Dick Cheney has met with the King of Saudi Arabia in discussions on security in the
Middle East and the high price of oil in international markets.
A US official said the two leaders shared a common view about the structural problems facing energy markets as well as measures to stabilise oil prices that have reached a record high of $110 (£55) a barrel.
He added that the US had discussed short-term as well as more long-lasting measures to lower oil prices with the country that is a major OPEC producer.
During the discussions other issues such as "
Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan,
Pakistan, energy,
Israeli-Palestinian issues, some bilateral questions" were also raised, according to the American delegation.
"There was I think a lot of commonality in their assessment about the structural problems confronted by the global energy market now and some discussion of probably the way forward," a senior US official said.
Mr Cheney has been in discussions with leaders around the Middle East this week as he paid visits to Iraq and Afghanistan. He is scheduled to visit Oman, Israel and Turkey after leaving Saudi Arabia.