(MENAFN- The Peninsula) US President Barack Obama yesterday went out of his way to play down the absence of the Cutodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia from a regional summit with Gulf leaders that is likely to be dominated by tension over US efforts to forge a nuclear deal with Iran.
Obama met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office after King Salman pulled out of the visit last week.
"The United States and Saudi Arabia have an extraordinary friendship and relationship that dates back to President Franklin Roosevelt," Obama said at the start of the meeting. "We are continuing to build that relationship during a very challenging time," he said.
Obama said they would discuss how to build on a ceasefire in Yemen and work towards "an inclusive, legitimate government" in Saudi Arabia's impoverished neighbour, where Iran-supported Houthi rebels have been under attack by a Saudi-led coalition.
King Salman decided abruptly to skip the White House meeting and a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the president's Camp David retreat in Maryland outside Washington today. The White House has sought to counter perceptions that his absence was a snub that would undermine efforts to reassure the region Washington remains committed to its security against Iran.
"King Salman, when he met directly with Secretary of State John Kerry in Riyadh last week, did not express any specific concerns about the agenda at Camp David," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
US officials have said the right leaders were attending the summit, which they portrayed as a working meeting rather than a symbolic get-together.
The Gulf Cooperation Council includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.
The absence of many top Arab leaders, in addition to King Salman, is viewed as a reflection of frustration with Obama's pursuit of a nuclear deal with Iran and a perceived US failure to support opposition fighters in Syria.
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