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Kerry to mend Saudi ties

November 4, 2013

US Secretary of State John Kerry has met with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Saud al-Faisal, in Riyadh. His visit is aimed at easing tensions with Washington's greatest regional ally over Syria and Iran.

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) is traditionally welcomed with coffee from Saudi Foreign Minister
Image: Reuters

Speaking from the US Embassy in the Saudi capital on Monday, Kerry remarked that the US relationship with Saudi Arabia should stay "on track."

"Right now we have some very important things to talk about to make certain the Saudi-US relationship is on track, moving forward and doing the things that we need to accomplish," he told embassy staff.

The Saudis, Kerry added, have the ability "to influence a lot of the things that we also care about," praising them as "really the senior player in the Arab world."

Speaking ahead of talks with Saudi King al-Faisal, Kerry said that Washington and Riyadh need to discuss "a lot happening in this region," highlighting political turmoil in Egypt, the war in Syria and Iran's nuclear aspiration.

Saudi Arabia, Washington's greatest Arab ally, is upset with the US about what it believes is a weak foreign policy that allows Israeli settlement construction to carry on within the Palestinian territories and allowing the conflict in Syria to continue.

The visit came on day two of Kerry's 10-day tour of the Middle East, Europe and North Africa. Other scheduled stops include Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco and Poland.

jlw/mz (Reuters, AP, AFP)

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FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2010 file photo released by an official website of the Iranian supreme leader's office, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, listens to the Syrian President Bashar Assad, center, as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, looks on, during their meeting in Tehran, Iran. A portrait of the late Iranian revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini hangs on the wall. Two weeks after Egypt's uprising swept aside Hosni Mubarak, the presidents of Iran and Syria stood side by side in Damascus in a blunt message to the Arab Spring: The Syrian regime can count on its allies in Tehran. Seven months later _ and after at least 2,700 deaths in Syria _ Iran is tweaking its big brother role for Syrian President Bashar Assad. The Iranian leaders are now urging him to consider talks with protesters or risk heading down a path with few escape routes. (AP Photo/Office of the Supreme Leader, File) ** EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES **

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