WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama and King Salman of Saudi Arabia met at the White house on Friday and pledged to strengthen bilateral relations despite differences over Syria, Yemen and the Iran nuclear deal.

King Salman said he made his first official visit to the United States to reflect “the deep and long relationship” between the two countries that went back to 1945. “Our relationship is not only useful between us but for the whole World,” he said.

“The fact that he has chosen to make this first visit to the United States is indicative of the long-standing friendship between the United States and Saudi Arabia,” Mr Obama responded.

King Salman was crowned in January after the death of his brother.

The king did not refer to the issues that have strained relations between the two allies and instead made a general statement about the situation in the Middle East.

“Our region must achieve stability, which is essential for the prosperity of its people,” he said. President Obama was more direct. “We share concerns about Yemen and the need to restore a functioning government that is inclusive and that can relieve the humanitarian situation,” he said.

“We share concerns about the crisis in Syria and will have the opportunity to discuss how we can arrive at a political transition process within Syria that can finally end the horrific conflict there.”

Mr Obama also said that the US and Saudi Arabia would “continue to cooperate extremely closely” on counter-terrorism efforts, particularly the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.

Initially, Saudi Arabia had opposed the Iran nuclear deal but offered cautious support after President Obama agreed to provide additional military and security assistance to the kingdom.

The Obama administration hopes that the Saudis would continue to support for the deal, as it would help remove concerns across the Arab world.

On Syria, Saudi Arabia wanted Washington to do more to bring down Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Obama administration supported the rebel fighters in the beginning but is now facilitating a political transition. Washington, however, agrees with the Saudi position that hat President Assad must step down.

YEMEN: Like Riyadh, Washington too supports the Yemeni government against Iran-backed Houthi rebels. But the White House has also voiced concerned about the humanitarian crisis created by Saudi bombings.

But on Friday, the US media were also focusing on another issue: the Saudi entourage’s display of wealth.

When King Salman touched down on the US soil on Thursday, an armada of black luxury limousines was awaiting his arrival at Joint Base Andrews just outside Washington.

On a recent trip to France, King Salman had a 10-vehicle motorcade, and hired an additional 400 luxury cars.

The number of cars hired in Washington is not yet known but some media reports claimed that it was close to what the Saudis had hired in Paris.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2015

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