The talks covered several other topics of common concern in a renewed bid to boost links between the two countries and narrow differences over the response to issues affecting the Arab world.
Geoff Morrell, Pentagon press officer, said that the US defense secretary discussed "regional issues including Iran and Saudi-American relations with the king."
"King Abdullah and Gates dwelt at length discussing bilateral issues," said a US embassy official, adding that Gates wrapped up his day-long visit to Riyadh in the evening. The talks, Gates' first with the king after his return from abroad, also focused on concerns about Yemen and pressure on Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to stand down, said the sources.
The talks were attended by top Saudi and US officials. Prominent among those were Prince Saud Al-Faisal, foreign minister; Prince Khaled bin Sultan, assistant minister of defense and aviation; Prince Muqrin, chief of general intelligence; Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, minister of state and commander of the National Guard; Adel Al-Jubair, Saudi ambassador to the United States; and US Ambassador James B. Smith.
The defense secretary conveyed greetings from US President Barack Obama to the king, who reciprocated.
On defense cooperation between Riyadh and Washington, Morrel said that Saudi Arabia is the largest consumer of American military hardware. He said Gates’ discussion with senior Saudi officials also covered military-to-military relationships and progress in finalizing a recent defense supply agreement.
He said Gates had stressed the value of "strategic partnerships" in meeting common challenges such as extremism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the ballistic missile threat and maritime security.
Saudi Arabia is the third largest oil supplier to the United States.
"As we stand up for our principles, while still trying to protect our interests, we're going to have to take a pragmatic approach," the Pentagon official said. "A shared concern is also the ongoing battle against Al-Qaeda in the Arab world."
On Libya, the defense secretary is reported to have said that the US would continue to provide aircraft for missions that other members of the coalition flying over Libya cannot field.
