Saudi Arabia ? A U.S. delegation led by Vice President Dick Cheney paid respects Friday to King Abdullah, a visit intended to show the importance Washington attaches to close ties with oil power Saudi Arabia.

Cheney, former President Bush and former Secretary of State Colin Powell offered condolences on the death Monday of the new monarch’s half brother, King Fahd.

Reporters were barred from the meeting at the king’s farm outside Riyadh, but the official Saudi Press Agency said the two sides discussed Iraq, bilateral relations and the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Cheney invited Abdullah to visit President Bush at the White House, the agency said.

Spain’s King Juan Carlos also met Friday with Abdullah, who embraced him warmly in footage broadcast on Spanish television. Juan Carlos was a longtime friend of Fahd.

Saudi Arabia is a major U.S. ally in the Middle East. As crown prince, Abdullah worked to repair ties strained by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, in which 15 of the 19 attackers were Saudis. The Bush family has had close ties with the Saudi royal family for decades.