Obama, Saudi king meet amid rising tensions

United States (U.S.) President Barack Obama has met with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman in Riyadh amid increasingly tense relations and persistent differences over how to combat terrorism and regional conflicts.

Obama met with the monarch yesterday at Erga Palace. They offered warm greetings before their closed meeting.

Salman told Obama he and the Saudi people are “very pleased” about the visit, the U.S. leader’s fourth as president.

Obama responded, “The American people send their greetings.” He also thanked the king for hosting the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit today.

The United States and its Arab partners will address pressing issues facing the region at the summit, which will be attended by the GCC alliance of six Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

It appears fundamentally different priorities and strategies on combating terrorism and bringing stability to the region will keep Washington and Riyadh at odds on a range of key challenges.