WASHINGTON/JEDDAH: Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a series of meetings with US officials in Washington on Wednesday focusing on regional conflicts and cooperation.

The deputy crown prince is due to meet US President Barack Obama on Friday, according to local reports.

He met with Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, head of the Central Intelligence Agency John Brennan, Secretary of State John Kerry, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and the chairs of the foreign affairs and armed services committees.

The US denied there was any dispute with Saudi Arabia over how to handle the crisis in Syria. Kerry’s spokesman John Kirby said: “If you’re asking if there’s this big philosophical divide between the Saudis and the United States on how to move forward on the ground in Syria, the answer is ‘no.’”

Kirby recalled that Saudi Arabia had been one of the first countries to join the United States and Russia in forming the International Syria Support Group.

“If it were not for Saudi leadership, we wouldn’t have that first meeting of the Syrian opposition groups back in December in Riyadh,” Kirby said. “They have been at this right from the beginning with the United States and with Russia and with Turkey, moving this process forward ... Saudi Arabia has been with us step-by-step.”

Kerry was keen for his visit with Prince Mohammed bin Salman to reflect the warm relations between both countries by hosting a Ramadan iftar at his home in Washington, rather than a protocol meeting on Capitol Hill. The iftar lasted for more than two hours.

“The iftar is an appreciation of the deputy crown prince’s visit to the United States,” said Kerry, noting that it would address the “strong and sustainable relations between the US and Saudi Arabia, as well as a number of issues including Yemen, Syria, Libya, and the fight against terrorism.”

Prince Mohammed offered his condolences for the victims of the Orlando shootings, as the discussion focused on “cooperation to combat terrorism on the regional and international level.”

The meeting also addressed the prince’s economic plan for Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s goal to transform its economy away from it dependence on oil.

Political expert at the Center for American Progress, Brian Katulis, said the prince’s visit “is different from the previous traditional visits, as it moves away from the political context and will cover economic and technology talks in New York and California.”

Katulis, who had met with the prince last December, said his “youth ... and analytical strength will help him build bridges with American officials. Putting in place a plan to end the conflict in Yemen will be part of the discussions, and joint security challenges,” he said.

Sources were quoted by several newspapers as saying that the meetings will act as a road map for both sides, especially in the coming period, as well as an opportunity for both sides to clarify a number of issues that concerns them as American media attempts to portray matters as “worse than they are.”

“There are a number of lawyers who aim to complicate issues as they place pressure on US decision makers to harm the Kingdom, as was evident in the attempt to raise charges of damages for the September 11 attacks worth millions of dollars,” one source said.