Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah in a meeting with visiting US Vice President Dick Cheney has rejected any US military strike against Iran.
The Saudis say any nuclear non-proliferation efforts should include Israel, which is widely believed to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East with around 200 nuclear warheads.
Over nearly five hours, Cheney and the king also discussed “Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Pakistan, energy, Israeli-Palestinian issues, some bilateral questions before us,” the official said.
US Vice President Dick Cheney says it is understandable that people may see a plan for a military attack on Iran in his Middle East trip.
“Well, I suppose that’s because of my past history,” Cheney replied to ABC News interviewer who told him “When you come over here, people in the region start thinking you’re over here to plan some sort of military action. ”
Cheney denied that he had taken a harsher stance toward Iran’s nuclear program. “I’ve been pretty consistent over time about Iran,” he said.
“I don’t think I’ve ratcheted up the rhetoric. I felt strongly for a long time, and a lot of us have, that Iran should not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons,” he added.
Vice President Dick Cheney, completing a two-day stay in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, discussed ways to stabilize the energy market with Saudi King Abdullah, but it is unclear whether he asked for increased oil production to hold down rising gas prices.
President Bush had urged the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to increase production during his trip to Saudi Arabia in January, saying it was a mistake to have the economies of its largest customers slowing down as a result of higher energy prices. The oil-producing nations ignored Bush’s request.
Americans, woke up this week shaken and awed by the drastic news that last Wednesday was the fifth anniversary of the US-led occupation of Iraq, longer than American involvement in any war including the Second World War.
Aide: Cheney Discussed with Sultan Qaboos Iran’s Rising Influence in Lebanon
Cheney and Sultan Qaboos discussed how “through Hizbullah, Iran has been allowed to become the dominant power in Lebanon,” the aide told reporters.
“That’s not what these discussions are about,” the aide said about reports that Cheney’s nine-day trip to the Middle East and Turkey aimed to set the stage for a U.S. military strike on Iran.
The aide said the talks in Oman before Cheney’s trip to Afghanistan on Thursday focused extensively on Iran, which has defied international criticism of its nuclear program.
“The vice president talked about the concerns we have about the full range of their activities,” said the official, underlining what the United States sees as “an increase in the Iranian relationship with Hamas.”(AFP-Naharnet)
Somehow, I doubt the full story is being reported about this trip. The history of Cheney’s actions being transparent is pretty short. This quick tour of the oil rich countries has me wondering if, 1) Cheney wants to patch relations with America’s marketing buddies, or, 2) Cheney wants to alert his oil buddies to hunker down and be prepared to support a strike against Iran. The nature of Cheney’s visits is well scripted to make us think he is trying to save the American economy …
Cheney’s visit is intended to lend muscle to the White House claim that substantial progress is being made in Iraq because of the troop surge–thereby burnishing the Administration’s “legacy” and enhancing the election prospects of John McCain (who recently made an Iraq trip of his own with this purpose). Cheney also sought to persuade Iraqi lawmakers to pass a national hydrocarbon law, thus smoothing the way for the exploitation of Iraqi oilfields by US energy firms.
I don’t buy the company line. This administration has a bug up its ass over Iran just like it did over Iraq. With imminent regime change in America, this trip may be Cheney’s last hurrah to embroil his Halliburton subsidiaries in another billion dollar war. Eight years living in the darkside is more than adequate to teach me a lesson about being negligent with American politics. You just don’t know how good you have it until it is lost. I so much miss America, at least the one I thought I knew. If nations seek to emulate America as it is now, then we have really embraced Bush’s Armageddon Fantasy.
Original article: Cheney Stalks Middle East One More Time
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