US President George W. Bush welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard, to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, the official SPA news agency reported Monday.
According to the agency, the US president stressed the deep personal friendship relations between them and importance of Saudi-US ties.
In a statement to journalists shortly before arrival of the crown prince and his accompanying delegation, the president said he attaches great importance to the talks between the two sides, adding that they will deal with a host of issues.
President Bush pressed the Saudi Crown Prince to help curb skyrocketing oil prices that are hurting US families and businesses, and a senior advisor said a Saudi plan to increase production would have an impact.
"When you increase the capacity by a significant amount, which they are talking about, that can't help but have a positive downward effect on prices," said Bush's national security adviser, Steve Hadley.
