WASHINGTON- US President Barack Obama hosted Saudi Arabian Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House Friday, underscoring his guest’s meteoric rise and increasingly pivotal role in managing strained US-Saudi ties. The 30-year-old deputy crown prince – who has become the driving force behind economic reform and a more activist Saudi foreign policy – swept into the West Wing with a band of aides. Mohammed bin Salman is the King’s son and the country’s defense minister, but he has met the very biggest of Washington’s big hitters during a week-long visit. He held talks with the CIA director, the secretaries of state, defense and treasury, as well as leading members of Congress. The White House said Prince Mohammed’s meeting with Obama will take place in the Oval Office – a rare honor for a non-head of state, one not afforded to the Dalai Lama earlier in the week.
The White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz said the visit serves to underscore the deep strategic partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia.
“Mostly, its going to give us an opportunity to further discuss issues of mutual concern and cooperation, including the situations in Yemen and Syria, our campaign against ISIL, Saudi Arabias national transformation programme of reforming its economy — so all of the issues that were discussed at the GCC Summit in April,” he told reporters.
The meeting comes as ties between the US and Saudi Arabia are strained over how to approach Riyadh’s arch-enemy Iran, the war in Yemen.
High on the agenda of the meeting will be Prince Mohammed’s efforts to overhaul Saudi Arabia’s state-dominated and oil-dependent economy, bringing in the private sector and creating jobs for the country’s young population.
Amid disagreements over the US nuclear deal with Iran, economic reform appears to be a much-needed issue that could bring Riyadh and Washington together.
After Prince Mohammed met top US economic policymakers on Wednesday, including Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, the White House “underscored the United States’ desire to be a key partner in helping Saudi Arabia implement its ambitious economic reform program.”
The Saudi Ambassador to the United States Abdullah Al-Saud said the visit will have a significant impact on the development of the joint interests of the two countries.
He said that the timing of the visit was significant because it follows the announcement of Saudi Vision 2030, an economic roadmap built around three primary themes: a vibrant society, a thriving economy and an ambitious nation.
Prince Mohammed is also sure to address another of his signature policies – Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, which has been a point of deep contention between the White House and the royal court. The United States has aided and publically backed the operation to push back against Iranian-backed Huthi rebels who took over the capital Sanaa. The war signaled Saudi Arabia’s willingness to tackle Iranian influence in the region.
Source: AFP, News Agencies – 17 JUNE 2016
