By Reuters
Saudi Arabia concerned U.S. losing interest in region; U.S. president
reassures Saudi king U.S. will not agree bad deal with Iran.
U.S. President Barack Obama reviews an honor guard upon his arrival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia March 28, 2014. Photo by Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama and Saudi King Abdullah discussed "tactical
differences" in their approach to some issues during a meeting in Riyadh
on Friday, but agreed both sides remain strategically aligned, a senior
U.S. official said. Obama also assured Abdullah that the United States
would not accept a bad nuclear deal with Iran.
In the runup 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 towards Iran and Syria, where Riyadh wants
more American support for rebels. Obama told the king that Washington
remained concerned about providing some shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft
weapons to Syrian rebels
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