Obama Seeks to Allay Saudi Fears on Iran, Syria

Local Editor

US President Barack Obama underlined Washington's "strong" relationship with Saudi Arabia in talks with King Abdullah Friday, the White House said, on a visit intended to allay Riyadh's concerns regarding the weakening alliance with Washington.



The two discussed "tactical differences" in their approach to some issues during the meeting, but agreed both sides remain strategically aligned, a senior US official said.

Obama also assured Abdullah that the United States would not accept a bad nuclear deal with Iran, the official said, adding that Washington remained concerned about providing some shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft weapons to Syrian militants.

In the run-up to his visit to the kingdom, officials had said Obama would aim to persuade the monarch that Saudi concerns that Washington was slowly disengaging from the Middle East and no longer listening to its old ally were unfounded.

Last year senior Saudi officials warned of a "major shift" away from Washington after bitter disagreements about its response to the "Arab Spring" uprisings, and policy toward Iran and Syria, where Riyadh wants more American support for rebels.

The official said the two leaders had spoken frankly about a number of issues and "what might be or might have been tactical differences or differences in approaching some of these issues, but Obama made very clear he believes our strategic interests remain very much aligned."
The official added that Obama had assured the king that "we won't accept a bad deal" on Iran and that the king "listened very carefully" to what Obama said. The official said it was important for Obama to come and explain the US position face-to-face with the king.

The elderly king, accompanied by a number of senior princes, had what appeared to be an oxygen tube connected to his nose at the start of the two-hour meeting at his desert farm at Rawdat Khuraim northeast of the capital Riyadh, witnesses said.

Saudi state television showed Obama, accompanied by US Secretary of State John Kerry and National Security Adviser Susan Rice, listening attentively while King Abdullah spoke, gesticulating with both hands as he made a point.
"In his meetings with King Abdullah in Riyadh, President Obama reiterated the significance the United States places on its strong relationship with Saudi Arabia, which has endured for over 80 years," a White House statement said.

Riyadh fears such a nuclear deal could come at the expense of its role in the Middle East, as Iran will take advantage of any reduction in international pressure to spread its influence.

The Saudi king was accompanied in the talks by Crown Prince Salman, Prince Muqrin, who was named second-in-line to rule Thursday, and Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.

Also present was the new American ambassador in Riyadh, Joseph Westphal, whose appointment was confirmed by the Senate late Wednesday, apparently in order to let him attend Friday's meeting.
Human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia were not raised in talks between Obama and the king Friday, a US official said.

"Today, given the extent of time they spent on Iran and Syria, they didn't get to a number of issues, and it wasn't just human rights," the official said. The official added that Obama Saturday would present a State Department Woman of Courage Award to a Saudi woman fighting domestic violence.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team