[An Nahar] U.S. President Barack ObamaBecause I won...
sought Friday to allay Riyadh's criticism of his policies on Syria and Iran, telling the Saudi king their two countries remain in lockstep on strategic interests.
He also assured King Abdullah that the U.S. "won't accept a bad deal" with Iran, as global powers negotiate a treaty reining in Tehran's controversial nuclear program.
Obama arrived from Italia to meet for some two hours with the monarch of the oil-rich kingdom on a royal estate outside Riyadh on the last leg of a six-day tour.
The U.S. president told the king that "he believes that our strategic interests remain very much aligned" with those of Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
, a senior U.S. administration official told news hounds.
Earlier, White House officials said discussions would focus on ways to "empower" Syria's moderate opposition.
"One of the main topics of conversation" would be "how do we best empower the moderate opposition inside of Syria politically, militarily as a counterweight to (President Bashar) Assad," deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told news hounds on board Air Force One.
Rhodes also said U.S.-Saudi ties have been improving thanks to cooperation on ways to support Syria's opposition.
"Our relationship with the Saudis is in a stronger place today than it was in the fall (autumn) when we had some tactical differences about our Syria policy," he said.