Saudi oil fields may go up in flames as King Abdullah agitates conflict with Syria

Clinton in Saudi amid oil supply concerns
30 March, 2012 – Al-Akhbar

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Saudi Arabia’s king and foreign minister in Riyadh on Friday to discuss the Syria conflict against a backdrop of tension with Iran and oil policy differences.

The world’s main superpower and its top oil exporter have been strategic allies since the 1940s, but discord over how to respond to Arab popular uprisings strained relations last year.

“Both sides have recognized that their common interests are much more significant than the issues that have recently been dividing them,” said Robert Jordan, US ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2001-03, citing anti-terrorism cooperation, concerns over a nuclear Iran, and wider Middle East stability.

Pictures broadcast on state television showed Clinton meeting King Abdullah as other officials, including Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, Defense Minister Prince Salman, and Intelligence Minister Prince Muqrin, looked on.

Although the two states have mended the rift, differences persist on regional policy and how to tackle high oil prices.

The United States and other consumer countries fear Saudi Arabia may cut oil output if they release emergency reserves, neutralizing their effort to cool world energy markets.

Diplomats and industry sources said Western countries may want Clinton to seek reassurances that the Saudis will not undercut their bid to cut their fuel costs. …more