(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-01-13 20:43

A month after inviting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the first time to their annual summit, the Gulf states are bracing themselves for the first visit by US President George W. Bush, and hoping to seek leeway amid the tug of war over the oil-rich region between Washington and Tehran.

Unlike Bush, who is on a trip to Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia to rally support against Iran, the Gulf states want their US ally to understand their reasons for maintaining good relations with Tehran.

On Wednesday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told reporters that Iran is their neighbor in the Gulf, which is a small area, "so we're keen for harmony and peace among countries in the area."

"We have relations with Iran and we talk with them, and if we felt any danger we have relations that allow us to talk about it," the foreign minister said.

The remarks partly explained why Ahmadinejad became the first Iranian president to be invited last month to attend the gathering of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which groups the world's six top oil exporters -- Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE.

Having witnessed the consequences of the Iraq war, which has weakened the Arab world, the Gulf states fear another conflict on their doorstep which could be even worse, as their large neighbor holds a more powerful arsenal than Iraq under Saddam Hussein.

As host to US military bases, the Gulf states could be a target in any military confrontation between the United States and Iran. And the danger is real with Bush refusing to rule out the military option despite US intelligence released last month saying that Tehran had halted a secret nuclear weapons program in 2003.

The Gulf states are also fearful of an escalation of tension in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping route off Iran's coast.

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