U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, looking to win backing from oil-rich Gulf Arab nations, said Wednesday that Washington wants to work with its allies to build a stronger financial foundation for the world as it emerges from its worst recession in decades. A key aim of the trip, which follows a series of overtures to the Middle East by President Barack Obama, is to reassure major oil producers in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council that America still welcomes their business and will safeguard the value of the dollar and their vast U.S. investments by forging a way out of the financial crisis. - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS