Cheney in Saudi Arabia Seeking Iraq Help

Vice President Dick Cheney meets with United Arab Emirates President Khalifa bin Zayed, right, at Bateen Palace in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Saturday, May 12, 2007. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert - AP)

The UAE maintains close ties with the U.S., which has three air bases in the Emirates, yet must exist in the virtual shadow of a much larger and more powerful neighbor just across the Straits of Hormuz, through which pass roughly a quarter of the world's oil supplies.

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who was scheduled to visit the Emirates on Sunday, is trying to persuade the Gulf states to drop their military alliances with Washington.

Cheney's mission to Saudi Arabia included an effort to smooth over recent divisions between the oil-rich kingdom and the United States.

The kingdom has taken an aggressive leadership role in efforts to quiet Mideast troubles. In a possible attempt to gain more credibility in the region, Abdullah recently has openly challenged the U.S. military presence in Iraq, calling U.S. troops in Iraq an "illegal foreign occupation."

The king refused to see al-Maliki when the Iraqi prime minister toured Arab countries late last month.

Cheney went to Saudi Arabia last November for meetings, requested by the king, that are still shrouded in secrecy.

Reports at the time suggested the two discussed what role Saudi Arabia might play in reaching out to Iraq's Sunni minority as conditions in that country deteriorate.

This time, the king did not request the meeting. Cheney was sent to the region by Bush.

(This version CORRECTS al-Maliki's title.)