Putin to make 1st visit to Saudi Arabia( Mideast tour after anti-US outburst )

[maddezmom]

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - In the first trip to Saudi Arabia by a Russian leader, President Vladimir Putin and his Saudi counterparts are expected to discuss economic and military cooperation and the conflicts that continue to trouble region.

Saudi officials said the trip could be a big boost for relations with Russia.

"The visit is a turning point because we will see lots of development in cooperation politically, economically and militarily," said a Saudi official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he could not discuss the visit on the record.

Putin is expected to meet with King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal on Sunday, according to Saudi media. On Monday, he is expected to visit a photo gallery at the National Museum.

more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070211/ap_on_re_mi_ea/saudi_russia

Putin begins Mideast tour after anti-US outburst

RIYADH (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin kicks off a Middle East tour, seeking to enhance ties with traditional US allies in the region after launching a scathing attack on Washington's foreign policy.

Putin arrives in Saudi Arabia Sunday before heading to Qatar and Jordan on a three-day trip aimed at bolstering energy and military links in a region where US influence has been uncontested since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The visits will be the first by a Russian president to the three Arab states and follow Putin's landmark Middle East visit in 2005, when he travelled to Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian territories.

On the eve of his departure, the Russian leader attacked the United States as a reckless "unipolar" power that has made the world more dangerous by pursuing policies that have led to war, ruin and insecurity.

more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070211/ts_afp/mideastsaudirussia_070211091620

[CJCRANE]

1. Saudis need a new business partner.

Their boy bush keeps shooting off at the mouth and upsetting their constituents.

[ohio2007]

2. "military cooperation " is the keyword

arms shipments will need purchased and a supply pipeline will need implemented for any deals struck in the middle east

http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=13188

and keeping the lines of communication open between the two middle east powers is just what Putin the middle man intends to do

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3FDFF26F-C5D7-4A3D-9E14-38BDE51E9061.htm