Bush prods Saudis on gasoline prices

CRAWFORD, Texas -- President Bush prodded Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah on Monday to help curb skyrocketing oil prices, and the White House expressed hope that the kingdom's plans would ease U.S. gasoline prices that have shot above $2.20 a gallon.

"A high oil price will damage markets, and he knows that," Bush said of Abdullah, the de facto leader of the desert kingdom.

Asked whether pump prices would drop, Bush said that would depend on supply and demand.

"One thing is for certain: The price of crude is driving the price of gasoline," Bush said. "The price of crude is up because not only is our economy growing, but economies such as India and China's economies are growing."

Saudi Arabia has outlined a plan to increase production capacity to 12.5 million barrels a day by 2009 from the current 11 million limit. Saudi Arabia now pumps about 9.5 million barrels daily. If necessary, Saudi Arabia says it will eventually develop a capacity of 15 million barrels a day.

National security adviser Stephen Hadley said the plan could be seen as positive news by financial markets.

"The problem in the oil market now is a perception that there is inadequate capacity," Hadley said. Reassurance that can be given to the market on available supply, he said, should "have a downward pressure on the price."

Other issues, including terrorism, prospects for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, Syria's role in Lebanon, and democracy in the Middle East, filled the leaders' meeting and discussion over lunch.

They agreed to set up a high-level committee, headed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Saudi foreign minister, to deal with strategic issues.

Spreading democracy is a second-term goal that could affect Bush's legacy, yet high gas prices are a drag on his popularity.

A recent Associated Press-AOL poll found the public giving the president low marks for his handling of energy problems, with 62 percent saying they disapproved. Earlier in April, another AP survey found public dissatisfaction growing more generally, with Bush's job approval rating at 44 percent.

Bush has been urging Congress to pass his energy plan, but even the president has said that it will do little to give motorists short-term relief from high gas prices. In Washington, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said Bush's meeting with Abdullah was a reminder of America's dependence on foreign oil. He said fewer than 5 percent of the incentives in the energy bill were devoted to developing alternative energy sources.

Kerry said U.S. dependence on foreign oil tethers the United States to unstable regions of the world. "We risk being drawn into dangerous conflicts, and an already overburdened military is increasingly stretched too thin," he said.

Al-Jubeir said Saudi Arabia is producing all the oil that its customers are requesting. He said the price is being driven up by a shortage of refining capacity.

"What we have done is explain to the U.S. what our production capabilities are," he told reporters about the meeting. "We also explained to the U.S. -- and we have for months -- what our plans are for adding to that capacity in the future years."

Both nations also agreed to cooperate in fighting terrorists. U.S.-Saudi relations were strained after the 2001 terrorist attacks, in which 15 of the 19 airplane hijackers were Saudis. But American officials have been much more satisfied with anti-terror efforts the Saudis have undertaken since militants' May 2003 attacks in Riyadh.

The president was accused during last year's presidential campaign of being too cozy with Saudi officials. But he paid such criticism no public mind. On Monday, he offered Abdullah a warm embrace and a kiss on both cheeks and gripped his hand as they disappeared into an office building on the ranch where bluebonnets, the Texas state flower, were making their spring debut.

Before he left Crawford, Abdullah bought chips, a Snickers bar and cookies at a local store and restaurant called the Coffee Station where a gallon of regular gas was selling for $2.18.