“Most Saudis believe that ascendancy in the region has come about as a result of American policy, that is the United States occupies Iraq militarily, but Iran occupies it politically,” Freeman said.

Iraq has a Shiite-led government, and Iran is ruled by the same sect of Islam, while rulers of Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries are Sunni.

Despite close personal ties among Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, King Abdullah and other Saudi officials, the tear in U.S.-Saudi relations has yet to be fully repaired.

But the bond forged decades ago on energy and security issues will continue in the years ahead regardless of who succeeds Bush in January, analysts said.

“This is a relationship that dates back to FDR,” said Gregory Gause, director of the Middle East studies program at the University of Vermont. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president of the United States from 1933 to 1945.

“It’s been an intense relationship since the ‘73 oil embargo and the first oil revolution. It’s gone from Democrats to Republicans,” he said.

During his last visit to Saudi Arabia in January, Bush called on OPEC to increase production, but the plea fell on deaf ears, and oil prices have since jumped more than US$30 to a record US$126 a barrel.

He was expected to again urge that OPEC increase production. But analysts say the request would be largely symbolic to show the American public that he was trying to do something about high oil prices, rather than based on any expectation that it would lead to action by Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, and OPEC, which is next scheduled to meet to decide oil output policy in September.

“I can’t see that it will work this time, it didn’t work the first time,” said Robert Ebel, senior adviser on energy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

What is the president likely to come away with? “Just smiles and a handshake, that’s about it,” Ebel said.

1|2

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Enter your comments - 1000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos Respond to this email