Saudis Say No to Bush on More Oil But Sign New Nuclear Energy Agreement. By Terence Hunt, AP, May 18, 2008. "President Bush failed to win the help he sought from Saudi Arabia to relieve skyrocketing American gas prices Friday... Bush got a red-carpet welcome to this desert kingdom, home to the world's largest oil reserves, and promised to ask King Abdullah to increase production to reduce pressure on prices, which soared past $127 for the first time Friday. But Saudi officials said they already were meeting the needs of their customers worldwide and there was no need to pump more. Their answer recalled Bush's trip to Saudi Arabia in January when he urged an increase in production but was rebuffed... Early this week, Senate Democrats introduced a resolution to block $1.4 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia unless Riyadh agreed to increase its oil production by 1 million barrels per day... Bush's visit was billed as a celebration of 75 years of U.S.-Saudi relations, though they have been frayed by Arab perceptions that Washington favors Israel too much in the dispute with the Palestinians, the Iraq war and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks... The two countries used the occasion of Bush's visit to sign new agreements. Among them was an agreement for the U.S. to assist the kingdom in developing civilian nuclear power."
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