Talks between Obama and leaders from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman were to focus on Iran, Syria and the fight against Islamic State and al Qaeda.
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During the U.S.-GCC summit, leaders also committed to urgently undertake additional steps to intensify the campaign to defeat the Islamic State (IS) militant group and the al-Qaida, and reduce regional and sectarian tensions that fuel instability, said a White House statement.
The Saudi king also snubbed Obama last May, when he chose not to attend a GCC summit the president hosted at Camp David to discuss the Iran nuclear deal among other issues.
Obama met for two hours with Salman and a group of top princes and officials at the opulent Erga palace, a meeting that had been forecast to be awkward.
As the Obama administration seeks to fend off American lawsuits against the government of Saudi Arabia, President Barack Obama traveled to Riyadh and defended the Iran nuclear deal, which the Saudi government has vocally opposed.
Obama walks toward Marine One upon his arrival at King Khalid International Airport for a summit meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Other security initiatives resulting from the Riyadh summit include the pairing of elite special operations forces from each of the Gulf partners to work with US trainers and an agreement to conduct joint maritime patrols.
They also talked about the need to reinforce a cessation of hostilities between Syrian government and opposition forces, and their support for a political transition in the war-torn country, the White House said.
In April 2015, Iran and six world powers, including the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, reached an initial agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear activities for a specific period in return for relieving the economic sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program.
“This violence is yet another reminder that there’s just one way to end this civil war”, Obama said, adding that the Gulf leaders had agreed.
“We remain united in our fight to destroy ISIL or Daesh, which is a threat to all of us”, the president said, using alternative names for the group.
The summit followed bilateral talks that Obama held with Saudi King Salman on Wednesday shortly after arriving in the kingdom.
Obama is also due to visit the trade fair in Hannover.
The Middle East is mired in a contest for influence between a bloc of mostly Sunni countries, including the conservative, pro-Western Gulf monarchies, and revolutionary Shia Iran and its allies.
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Two other likely bombshells in relations are waiting to explode: the 28 pages in the 9/11 Commission report about the Saudi role that have not been released, and a bill in Congress that would permit victims of 9/11 to sue Saudi Arabia. The U.S. and Gulf allies agree the conflict-ridden nation must have a transitional government, a new constitution, and free elections to move away from President Bashar Assad’s regime.
