U.S. President Obama Meets With King Abdullah In Saudi Arabia

U.S. President Barack Obama meets with King Abdullah at Rawdat al-Khraim (Desert Camp) near Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, March 28, 2014. Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Obama, Saudi King Discuss Syrian Rebels, Iran, Gulf Security -- Reuters

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama, making his first visit to Saudi Arabia since 2009, met King Abdullah on Friday for two hours of talks that aides said would focus on Middle East peace, Iran and ways to strengthen moderate Syrian rebels.

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 his meeting at his desert farm at Rawdat Khuraim northeast of the capital Riyadh, witnesses said.

The king and Obama, there with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and National Security Adviser Susan Rice, made no public statements.

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More News On U.S. President Obama Meeting With King Abdullah Of Saudi Arabia

Obama Arrives in Saudi Arabia for Talks with King -- WSJ
Iran is Topic A as Obama meets with Saudi King Abdullah -- Washington Post
Obama seeks to reassure Saudi King Abdullah on Iran, Syria -- CBS/AP
Arming Syria rebels top topic as Obama, Saudi king meet -- 7News/AFP
Obama, Abdullah seek to soothe relations -- The Hill
Obama lands in Saudi Arabia to help soothe relations with key ally -- The Guardian
Obama meets with Saudi king, weighs new Syria aid -- Bloomberg/AP
Obama Visits Saudi King to Reassure on Syria, Iran Stance -- Bloomberg

My Comment: The Saudi King is old and sick .... this is a courtesy call and to show respect to the King. The real discussions are being held between senior U.S. officials and those who are now running Saudi Arabia (Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz, etc.). For these men .... their focus is on Iran and curtailing it's expansionist goals, the ongoing violence in Iraq, and the civil war in Syria .... and they want concrete U.S. steps and actions ASAP. My prediction is that these talks will result in U.S. President Obama making decisions that he may not want to do (like shipping sophisticated weapons to Syria's rebels) .... but considering the critical role that Saudi Arabia plays in U.S. foreign and economic policy .... he will probably have no choice but to acquiesce.