Putin meets Saudi King Abdullah on Iraq, Mideast conflict
In historic first visit by a Russian leader to kingdom, King Abdullah expresses hope Quartet will revive peace process.
By ReutersRIYADH - Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah on Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Sunday, in the first visit by a Russian leader to the kingdom.
King Abdullah gave Putin, who accused the United States on Saturday of making the world a more dangerous place, a red carpet welcome, and prior to the talks urged Moscow to help revive the Arab-Israeli peace process.
"There is no doubt that Russia has an important role in achieving peace," the king told Russia's Itar-Tass news agency ahead of the trip, which Moscow hopes will help to restore old Soviet-era links with the Middle Eastern region.
Saudi media has said Moscow also wants to sell Riyadh, which enjoyed a record budget surplus of $78 billion last year on high oil prices, military hardware including tanks and anti-missile systems as well as win a tender to expand Saudi railways.
Putin's trip marks growing links between the two nations after the king's visit to Moscow in 2003. Riyadh revived its ties with Moscow in 1990 as the communist Soviet era ended. The two nations first established diplomatic ties in the 1920s.
As well as covering the Iraq war and the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, the two leaders discussed cooperation between the world's two top oil producers, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. Russia denies having plans to join a "gas OPEC." The agency gave no further details of the talks.
Russia, which belongs to the Quartet sponsoring Arab-Israeli peace which also comprises the United States, the EU and the United Nations, wants to play a bigger diplomatic role in the Middle East. Putin will also visit Qatar and Jordan.
"We hope the Quartet's current effort (succeeds) to revive the peace process and concentrate on resolving the main issues at their root after partial solutions failed to achieve the required progress," the king said before the talks.
Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia brokered a deal between Hamas and the Fatah faction of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas ending months of factional fighting and clearing the way for a national unity government.
King Abdullah had said he hoped the Putin visit would further cooperation on oil and in investment and air transport but he gave no details.
Ahead of the visit, Putin attacked the United States saying Washington was making the world a more dangerous place by pursuing policies aimed at making it the "one single master."
His remarks coincided with disagreement between Russia and the United States over the Iraq war and the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea.
Russia favors constructive engagement with Iran, pointing out that a tough line has failed to deter North Korea from developing nuclear weapons.
Moscow also wants dialogue with Iran and Syria to help solve the Palestinian problem and believes that what it sees as American attempts to impose Western democracy by force, such as in Iraq, are doomed to fail.
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I had high hopes for Putin when he took office that peace would be in the offing for Russia. But, the last couple of years has shown Putin to be Hugo Chavez style thug. Russia has become a threat not only to it's neighbors, but to the world, selling high tech arms to the highest bidder.
...will be the first member of the Quartet to break ranks and start sending money and supplies to the Palestinian Authority? And once that happens then it will be pretty certain the EU will follow very, very quickly. The big question will then be what will happen when a shipload of supplies appear over the horizon on the decks of a Russian-flagged ship - does the Israeli navy intercept it, or does it allow the landing boats to unload directly onto a Gaza beach?
His relationship with Iran is now soured. Gates said'"The Cold War is over!" So the USA called his bluff and Ahmadinejad is in in big trouble now because Putin didn't pound the shoe. Besides, giving Iran nukes was a crazy idea in the first place, especially for the Russians. Now he's probably offering all sorts of weapons systems to the Saudis and Hashemites but they know who he's been in bed with the whole time, Ahmadinejad. I say lets reduce this war on Islamo-Fachism to the lowest common denominator. We've got the same enemies. Ahmadinejad and his cronies, and the SOBs that attended that BS Holocaust Conference in Iran. They're the Islamo-Facists (Some Muslims but not all Muslims and some Neo-Nazis and KKK who are on the side of Iran of whom, David Duke is the most prominent plastic face of all of them and a handful of some Judenrat Sondercommando Bastard Cowards). So we take out Iran's program and we closely examine the SOBS who went to see Ahmadi.
Forget about the source but think of his words because Putin is right about the U.S. The world is a more dangerous place today than it was before Bush came to power and the Middle East is more unstable than ever because of America. America may throw money at Israel and claim to support Israel but I really don't believe America has created a safer Middle East for Israel. In fact I believe the exact opposite.
Moscow has unbelievably surpassed New York and even Tokyo to become the most expensive city in the world to live in, but unfortunately this lifestyle gets mostly greased by Russian military talks leading to enough arms sales to a certain country which then spreads sufficient consternation amongst its neighbors and which leads to more talks, bilateral agreements, and further military sales. It's only a matter of time before one or more of these highly profitable but short-sighted transactions to Islamic countries begins to sour for Russia as they find themselves at the receiving end of their own designer weapons by the hands of the Islamists they've brutally crushed in the past.
Wake up Democrats and Liberals Russia is still fighting the cold war. While Putin talks peace. while he sells Heavy weapons to any country in the Mideast. He is not our partner in Peace and America better wake up and realize this before its to late.