Obama Stands by Tough Words for Saudis During Meeting With King

April 20, 2016 — 3:29 PM EDT

*No apology for remarks about `free riders,' U.S. official says
*Obama is on a two-day trip to Riyadh to meet with Arab leaders

President Barack Obama reassured Saudi Arabia’s King Salman that the U.S. is his country’s ally during a private meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday, but made no apology for recent criticism of Saudi policies and insisted that its government must learn to co-exist with rival Iran, a U.S. official said.

Obama’s two-day stop in Riyadh, perhaps his last visit to the Middle East as president, is intended to reassure regional allies that the U.S. is committed to the fight against the Islamic State terrorist group and is not improving its relationship with Iran at their expense.

In an interview published by The Atlantic magazine this month, the president complained about U.S. allies he called "free riders" who he believes don’t contribute enough to international military and humanitarian missions. Many people in Saudi Arabia, including members of the royal family, interpreted the remark as a reference to their country.

Obama also said the Saudis must "share" their region with Iran, and was reported describing the U.S. relationship with the kingdom as "complicated."

Obama met with King Salman at the beginning of a week-long trip to Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and Germany. He will attend a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a union of Arab Persian Gulf states, on Thursday.

“The American people send their greetings, and we are very grateful for your hospitality -- not just for this meeting but for hosting the GCC-U.S. summit that’s taking place tomorrow,” Obama told King Salman before the two leaders met in private.

Human Rights

Their discussion covered several regional conflicts, the U.S. official said, including in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and the West Bank.

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http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-04-20/obama-stands-by-tough-words-for-saudis-during-meeting-with-king