Cheney has Talks on Syria Crisis in Saudi, Egypt 
By Reuters
January 17, 2006
The New York Times
Original Source: http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-mideast-cheney.html

RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday held talks with Saudi, Egyptian and Lebanese leaders in a bid to resolve a stand-off between Syria and the United Nations over the assassination of a former Lebanese premier.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia, two Arab heavyweights who are key U.S. allies in the region, are trying to defuse tension over the killing of ex-Lebanese prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, and Saudi officials have talked of a Saudi mediation effort.
Syria denies any involvement in the murder of Hariri and 22 others and has said it will not let U.N. investigators question Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the killing, threatening a new showdown with the international community.
``The message has been made clear by everyone including Saudi Arabia and Egypt to the Syrians. And the United States has said it clearly over and over,'' said an Arab official involved with Cheney's meetings, explaining the message was Syria must cooperate fully with the United Nations.
Analysts say Egypt and Saudi Arabia are worried that the crisis between Syria and the U.N. could escalate and detract attention from other problems destabilizing the region.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told Britain's Financial Times in an interview published on Tuesday that the kingdom had made proposals for an agreement, but was waiting for a response from Beirut and Damascus.
He said the kingdom was not seeking a compromise on the United Nations probe into Hariri's killing.
Cheney declined to say if he had discussed the Saudi mediation effort with King Abdullah. 
CHENEY MEETS HARIRI'S SON
Before leaving Riyadh for Kuwait, Cheney had a short meeting with Hariri's son Saad, a member of parliament and Hariri's political heir.
``It was very good meeting,'' a source close to Hariri said. ''They talked about the situation in the region and the latest developments in the investigation.''
Earlier Cheney, who arrived in Egypt from Washington on Monday, had talks with President Hosni Mubarak also covering the Hariri investigation, and regional hotspots such as Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a U.S. official said.
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad visited Egypt and Saudi Arabia earlier this month for unscheduled talks on the crisis.
The United States strongly supports the United Nations inquiry into the Hariri assassination in February last year. The investigators have pointed the finger at Syrian intelligence but the Syrian government denies it played any role.
Cheney's office said on Monday that the vice president and Arab leaders would discuss U.S. President George W. Bush's ''freedom agenda and the war on terror.''
Washington says it is trying to promote democratic reforms in the Arab world. It considers the exit of Syrian troops from Lebanon following Hariri's assassination as an example of progress in this campaign and says Syria needs reform.
In Kuwait, Cheney offer his condolences after the death of the emir, Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, a spokeswoman said. Sheikh Jaber died on Sunday at 78.