Notwithstanding 9/11, US-Saudi relations seem to have changed little in 60 years. Khaled Dawoud reports from Crawford, Texas, on the meeting between President Bush and Crown Prince Abdullah Evidence of the warm personal relations between United States President George W Bush and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz was splashed across the front pages of many US newspapers this week in the form of photographs of the two walking hand in hand in the grounds of Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas on Monday, during the crown prince's first visit to the US in almost three years. Both men seemed keen to underline strategic ties between the two countries following revelations, which still reverberate with the American public, that 15 of the 19 perpetrators of 11 September attacks were Saudi nationals. For Bush the main issue is oil. Opinion polls show that only months after his re- election, Bush's approval ratings have slumped to 47 per cent, with many blaming their dissatisfaction on soaring gasoline prices. Bush was hoping his meeting with Crown Prince Abdullah would provide some good news for American consumers. As far as the short term is concerned such hopes proved ill-founded. Following the Bush-Abdullah meeting both Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, told reporters the two leaders had concentrated on long-term Saudi plans to increase production capacity from the current level of 11 million barrels per day (bpd) to 12.5 million bpd by the end of the decade, and 15 million bpd by 2015. Saudi and US officials denied Bush had asked for an immediate increase in production. That, in any case, is barely possible: while Saudi Arabia's official production figures stand at 9.5 million bpd most industry experts believe that, with oil prices consistently hovering around $50 a barrel, Saudi production has increased in recent weeks to close to its maximum capacity of 11 million bpd. This has left the market jittery. In statements to reporters at Crawford Abdel- Jubeir, Prince Abdullah's adviser, denied any supply shortage in oil markets and poured cold water on the notion that increased Saudi supply could off-set the current upward pressure on prices. Instead he asked the US to invest in more oil refineries, both locally and in Saudi Arabia, and to improve shipping and storage capacities. The ambitious Saudi plan, discussed during the meeting, calls for $50 billion to be invested in increasing oil production and in building more refineries. Uncertainty over Iraq's future oil production, and environmental and regulatory barriers in consuming countries had all, Abdel-Jubeir said, contributed to price increases. Rice told reporters that Bush "very much welcomed the careful planning they [the Saudis] had done, their desire to increase their capacity in a sustainable way and their willingness to invest to do that." She described the plan as an attempt to deal with "the root cause of this problem, and not just a sort of a temporary ping at the problem". Aware of the anti-Saudi mood in the US since 11 September attacks both Saudi and US officials were keen to placate public opinion. The opening sentence of the joint statement issued after the Bush-Abdullah meeting referred to the first summit held between the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, and US President Franklin D Roosevelt on board a US ship in the Suez Canal 60 years ago. That meeting set the terms for US-Saudi relations -- oil in return for security. It is a formula that continues to apply. Given the volatile situation in the Middle East oil was not the only item on the agenda. Washington needs Saudi help in several areas -- restoring stability in Iraq, attempting to reach a settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and in the ongoing "war against terror". And Riyadh has been happy to oblige. Most commentators believe Saudi approval of US plans to force Syria out of Lebanon following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hariri was essential to achieving the goal peacefully. In return the Bush administration has softened demands for wide-scale political reform in Saudi Arabia. In briefing reporters Rice and Hadley refused to comment on whether President Bush had pressed Abdullah to release the three dissidents and their lawyer jailed after signing a petition calling for the kingdom to be turned into a constitutional monarchy. While insisting that Washington would continue to call upon the Saudi government to encourage "wider participation" in government, Rice stressed "this is going to be a Saudi process, and something that is going to reflect the approach, history and culture of that country". Meanwhile, US National Security Adviser Hadley praised Riyadh's effort in the fight against terrorist groups, saying the "Saudis had made really good progress in fighting terror". It must have all played like music to the ears of Saudi officials. The joint statement issued at the end of the summit also pledged Washington's support for Saudi membership of the WTO and announced the formation of a joint foreign ministerial committee to follow up on discussions on strategic issues. The Americans also promised to ease the restrictions that led to a sharp decline in Saudi visitors to the US following the 11 September attacks.
