Cheney Meets UAE Leader Ahead of Iranian's Visit (Update3)
Ken Fireman
Khalifa told Cheney it was important for the U.S. to succeed in stabilizing Iraq and to remain there until that was accomplished, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Khalifa made no statement after the meeting.
After conferring with Khalifa, Cheney traveled to Tubuk, Saudi Arabia, and met with King Abdullah and other Saudi leaders for more than three hours today. Cheney's meeting with Abdullah covered ``a wide range of regional issues,'' said Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride. It ``served to reaffirm and strengthen old friendships,'' she said. Cheney is on a six-day trip to the Middle East aimed at demonstrating the Bush administration's determination to fight on in Iraq and curb Iran's influence in the region.
Yesterday, aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier cruising in the Persian Gulf, Cheney delivered a warning to Iranian leaders. ``We'll stand with others to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons and dominating this region,'' he told the crew of the USS John C. Stennis.
U.S. officials have accused Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons and supporting Iraqi insurgents who are attacking U.S. troops. Iranian leaders deny those allegations.
Ahmadinejad Visit
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to arrive in Abu Dhabi tomorrow to meet with Sheikh Khalifa.
The senior administration official said he didn't think Khalifa was sending any kind of message to the U.S. by meeting Ahmadinejad so soon after Cheney.
The official said it wasn't surprising that Khalifa would meet the Iranian leader, given that the two countries are neighbors and have a substantial trade relationship.
Cheney's message to Abdullah and the other Middle Eastern leaders is twofold, the official said. One is that the leaders should encourage Iraqi Sunnis to support their country's embattled, Shiite-dominated government. The second is that the leaders should urge the Iraqi government to move forward on steps to assuage Sunni concerns.
After the meeting with the Saudi king, Cheney is scheduled to confer with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah before returning to Washington.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ken Fireman in Tubuk, Saudi Arabia, at kfireman1@bloomberg.net