US supports Gulf states in confronting Iran’s meddling
OBAMA MEETS SALMAN AND MOHAMMAD BIN ZAYED AFTER ARRIVING IN RIYADH
The United States and Gulf states yesterday agreed to cooperate to secure the region’s stability and confront Iran’s destabilising activities.
The announcement came ahead of an extraordinary US-GCC summit to be held in Riyadh today.
US President Barack Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday, his fourth trip to the kingdom, seeking to reassure the US’s traditional ally of its intentions in the region following American rapprochement with Iran.
Obama met His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Hours before Obama arrived in Riyadh and met Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter had talks with his Gulf Arab counterparts on ways to counter Iranian influence and combat Daesh.
Saudi Defence Minister Mohammad Bin Salman reiterated during the meeting that Iran was playing a destabilising role in the region.
Carter said the US and GCC states would cooperate in the fight against Daesh and also work to counter Iranian meddling in the region.
They agreed on joint cooperation towards improving Gulf missile defences, special forces and maritime security, but no new deals were announced.
US President Barack Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday on his fourth trip to the kingdom, seeking to reassure Washington’s traditional ally of its intentions in the region following American rapprochement with Iran.
“The American people send their greetings and we are very grateful for your hospitality, not just for this meeting but for hosting the GCC-US summit that’s taking place tomorrow,” Obama said.
“The feeling is mutual between us and the American people,” King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz said.
The US president also met His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
They discussed ties of friendship and strategic cooperation between the UAE and the US in all domains.
The two leaders underlined their keenness to continue to strengthen bilateral relations and expand avenues of cooperation for their mutual interests.
Shaikh Mohammad said terrorism constitutes a challenge to all countries in the world, requiring collaborative international efforts to uproot and eliminate the menace.
Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and other senior UAE officials, were present.
Earlier in the day, Shaikh Mohammad was welcomed by the Saudi king at the airport.
Shaikh Mohammad also met Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Defence. During the meeting they discussed ways to enhance relations and regional developments.. The meeting was attended by Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed; Ali Mohammad Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council; Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority; Mohammad Mubarak Al Mazroui, Under-Secretary of the Crown Prince’s Court of Abu Dhabi and Yousuf Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States.
Meanwhile, in an extraordinary GCC meeting, Moroccan King Mohammad VI stressed that now more than ever was the time for Arab unity.
“The Arab world is experiencing very sensitive times,” he said in a televised speech at the meeting of GCC leaders.
“We need to find solutions to the problems in our region,” he added, stressing that the security of the Gulf was synonymous with the security of Morocco. “Morocco faces the same challenges as those of Gulf countries,” he said.
He said the threat of terrorism not only threatens Muslims but has impacted the entire world.
He stressed that Morocco’s participation in the summit was not meant to be taken as being against any other country.
He went on to praise his country’s relations with the Gulf, saying the GCC model was exemplary.
In his comments, King Salman stressed the importance of relations with Morocco and said its participation in the summit reflects the strong ties between the countries in all aspects.
Yemen crisis
He said that crisis in Yemen would be among the most important topics discussed by the leaders on Thursday.
In a separate press conference on the sides of a GCC-US summit, Saudi foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir and his Moroccan counterpart Salah Al Deen Mizwar, discussed the importance of collaborating to eradicate sectarian violence in the region and combat external interference, in a thinly-veiled reference to Iran.
Mizwar praised his country’s relationship with the GCC and said the relationship has become stronger since 2011.
“We sent a strong message to whoever wished to disrupt relations between Morocco and the Gulf,” he said.
On his part, Al Jubeir backed Morocco’s latest autonomy initiative to reach a solution on the Western Sahara issue, which King Salman also stressed during his during his comments at the leaders’ meeting.