News Digest

Forging fresh ties: Obama meets with new Saudi king

President Barack Obama landed in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Tuesday to meet with King Salman and offer condolences on the death of King Abdullah. Obama was scheduled to be in the country for just a brief stop — about four hours — before the U.S. delegation continued to Germany. The Saudi royal court said Salman would hold talks with Obama on “regional and international issues of common interest, in addition to means of enhancing bilateral relations”. The leaders are also expected to discuss the fight against Islamic State, the volatile situation in Yemen and talks on ending a long running dispute over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Obama is the latest world leader to arrive Riyadh since the death of King Abdullah on Friday.

The most interesting question for President Obama will be whether King Salman and his team of advisers have an order of priority that differs from King Abdullah’s.

Simon Henderson, Washington Institute for Near East Policy expert on U.S.-Saudi relations

The two leaders hope to rebuild diplomatic relations, which were described as having slightly frayed over the past few years. Ties were better under both George Bush and his son George W. Bush, who developed a personal relationship with the Saudi royal family.