Dick Cheney, the US vice president, has met King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia with the soaring price of oil and instability in the region expected to be on the agenda. 

However, it is unclear whether Cheney will urge the leader of the world's largest oil exporter to increase output during the talks at the monarch's horse farm in Riyadh. 

"They will review a broad agenda of diplomatic and security issues as well as where we are now in the global energy market," John Hannah, Cheney's national security adviser, told reporters aboard the Air Force Two vice presidential aeroplane on Friday. 

The two men were also likely to talk about efforts to confront Iran over its disputed nuclear programme. 

Cheney will also visit Israel, the West Bank, and Turkey before returning to Washington. 

Cheney Meets Saudi King