WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah have agreed on the need to press for Middle East peace in a "significant and bold way," including the creation of a Palestinian homeland.
The two leaders briefly addressed reporters after finishing a private meeting and lunch. Obama said he and the king covered Afghanistan and Pakistan, efforts to combat extremism and Iran's attempts to obtain nuclear weapon capability.
The president praised what he called a strong, strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia, which is a key player in the Middle East. Obama told the king he appreciated his friendship and counsel. King Abdullah said Obama is respected around the world as an "honorable man."
King Abdullah and President Obama met at the G20 summit in Canada over the weekend, but the king came to Washington to talk one-on-one about Palestine and Iran.
King Abdullah’s meeting at the White House comes a week before Obama is due to welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, following Israel's decision to allow some "civilian" goods into Gaza following its deadly flotilla raid that left nine activists, including a US national, dead.
King Abdullah and President Obama met a year ago in Riyadh, the day before the US leader's landmark address to the Muslim world, at a time when Washington was seeking inducements to Israel from the Arab world to prod peace moves forward.
Saudi Arabia has long supported a Palestinian-Israeli peace deal to alleviating other regional tensions, including the situation with Iran. Obama may try to use the meeting with King Abdullah as a means to intensify US-brokered indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians, as he seeks to open a direct channel between the two sides.
The president met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas earlier this month, saying he believed progress was possible in the Middle East before the end of the year.
In an interesting twist, Saudi Arabia's Washington Embassy used popular social networking site Twitter to give updates during the king's visit. Tweets from @SaudiEmbassyUSA began at the G20 Summit, including Saudi involvement there as well as items of interest about the longstanding Saudi-US relationship.
In addition to Twitter, the embassy has expanded its social media content to YouTube, www.youtube.com/saudiembassyusa.
Before leaving Toronto where he was attending the G20 summit, King Abdullah met Saudi students pursuing higher studies in Canada.
During the meeting, King Abdullah urged the students to work hard and achieve excellence. “You are the makers of the future. We expect you to take our nation to greater heights,” the king told the students. He also told them to represent Saudi Arabia in the best manner. “You are ambassadors of the nation. Represent it with your morals and values.”
King Abdullah has approved the establishment of a chair, named after him, on cultural dialogue at the University of Toronto. He also met David Patterson, honorary president of Toronto University, David Naylor, the university’s president, and other top officials on the occasion.
Speaking at the ceremony, Faisal Al-Muhanna, Saudi cultural attaché in Canada, said the King Abdullah Chair would promote tolerance and intellectual discourse. Naylor thanked the king for establishing the chair and said it would contribute to strengthening Saudi-Canadian relations.
A budget of SR20 million has been allocated to finance the chair and its activities for the next five years. The chair will organize an international interfaith conference every year. It will also provide scholarships to students conducting research on the topic, and publish books and magazine.
Speaking on behalf of Saudi students, Mashael Al-Harbi commended King Abdullah for supporting Saudis pursuing higher studies abroad, his efforts to meet their requirements and his desire for Saudis to perform academically.
— With input from agencies
