Saudis Again Reject U.S. Request For Oil Hike

ABU DHABI [MENL] -- Saudi Arabia has again rejected a U.S. request to
significantly increase crude oil production.
The Saudi leadership greeted visiting U.S. President George Bush with a
message that Riyad would not increase oil output. Officials said the message
was relayed ahead of Bush's arrival to the Arab kingdom on May 16.
"What they're saying to us is Saudi Arabia does not have customers that
are making requests for oil that they are not able to satisfy," U.S.
National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley said.
Officials said this marked the third U.S. request for a significant
increase in Saudi oil production. On May 16, the price of a barrel of crude
oil exceeded $127.