What happens when a night owl meets an early riser?

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- One is a night owl who likes to do business after midnight. The other is an early-to-bed guy who brags about going to sleep around 9:30 p.m.

Uh-oh.

One of them is King Abdullah of oil-rich Saudi Arabia. The other is President Bush.

So what happens when the president comes calling on the king? Call it the battle over bedtime.

It appears Bush is willing to make some concessions for the king.

Bush, scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia today on his first visit to the kingdom, had an appointment at the palace beginning at 9:05 p.m. -- the time he usually is getting ready for bed.

The big question is, how long will the president stay?

"You know, this is a matter of great sensitivity," a senior Bush administration official said with a smile.

Bush stayed up late -- for him -- on Sunday for a dinner at a remote encampment where Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Sheik Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, raises horses and prize falcons. The president did not get back to his hotel until after 9:30 p.m.

Late meetings are an Arab custom, partly because it is so hot during the day much of the year. In Saudi diplomacy, night meetings and press conferences are common. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is no stranger to the custom.

In 1986, Bush's father -- then the vice president under Ronald Reagan -- went to Saudi Arabia to meet with King Fahd. The U.S. delegation waited and waited and finally went to bed -- only to have to hurriedly get up after midnight at a summons from the king.

Saudi Arabia promises to be the latest night on Bush's trip eight-day Mideast trip, with stops in Israel, the West Bank, Kuwait, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates and Egypt.