Saudi-US ties ‘critical to cement political transitions in Mideast’

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah held wide-ranging talks on Sunday with visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry, aiming to find common grounds over the US policy on the Israeli-Palestine conflict, Syria and Iran.

Kerry also met Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, said Johann Schmonsees, a spokesman of the US Embassy.

After holding talks, Kerry said strengthening the US-Saudi partnership was critical to Middle Eastern security and stability and cementing tentative political transitions around the region.
Kerry conveyed the greetings of US President Barack Obama to the king, who reciprocated.

“The two leaders then discussed the developments of the Palestinian cause, in addition to the latest regional and international developments,” said an SPA report. The talks with King Abdullah were attended by top US and Saudi officials, including Prince Saud, Adel Al-Jubeir, Saudi ambassador to the US, and Timothy Lenderking, US charge d’affaires in Riyadh. “The US and Saudi Arabia would like to move forward on all issues of common concern,” said Kerry.

A source, however, told Arab News that Syria, Egypt and Iran were discussed in the talks.
His brief stopover in Jordan was also aimed at working with countries in the region to achieve progress on key issues confronting the Middle East region. Before flying to Saudi Arabia from Jordan, Kerry said: “There is still hard work ahead” for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Looking to ease the concerns of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, Kerry said that America’s allies could count on US support. Kerry is in Saudi Arabia on the second leg of a tour through the Middle East.

Kerry’s meeting with the Jordanian and Saudi leaders is also being interpreted as an effort to win Arab backing for any Palestinian concession.

Before leaving Jordan, Kerry praised both Palestinian and Israeli leaders for making “difficult decisions” at a time when efforts are underway to bring the two warring parties on the negotiating table.

Arab News