(25 Nov 2006) HEADLINE: Cheney in Saudi Arabia for talks on Iraq
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CAPTION: Vice President Dick Cheney is in Saudi Arabia for a meeting with King Abdullah. (Nov. 25)
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[Notes:ANCHOR VOICE]
As the crisis in Iraq threatens to worsen, Vice President Dick Cheney is in Saudi Arabia Saturday for talks with King Abdullah.
He's seeking the Sunni royal family's influence and tribal connections to calm the region after this especially violent week.
A string of attacks by Sunni insurgents killed 215 people in a Shiite district of Baghdad Thursday.
There's a potentially explosive crisis in Lebanon, a jam in the Arab-Israeli peace process, and a nuclear standoff with Iran.
And now Iraq has been thrown into a turmoil ahead of talks scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday between President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
A Saudi official said Cheney and Abdullah are discussing "the deteriorating situation in Iraq" as well as the situation in Lebanon, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the standoff with Iran.
Cheney will also meet the Saudi Crown Prince Sultan. No other stops were planned.
The unusual series of visits to the region by the president and vice president show Washington's determination to rally its allies at a time when it is considering overhauling its Iraq policy.
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