Obama meets Saudi king, commends ties

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(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-04 08:51

RIYADH: US President Barack Obama praised the United States' strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia and said he was confident that the two countries could work together to make progress on a range of issues of mutual interest.

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud greets US President Barack Obama during an arrival ceremony at the King Khaled international airport in Riyadh Wednesday. [Agencies]

Obama said he was struck by King Abdullah's wisdom and graciousness. The monarch of Saudi Arabia, in turn, was equally gracious. He expressed his best wishes to Americans and called Obama a distinguished man who deserves to be president.

The leaders spoke after King Abdullah received Obama at Riyadh airport ahead of the US president's much-heralded speech in Cairo that he hopes will help refurbish US' tarnished image in the Islamic world.

Obama and King Abdullah were to hold private talks covering the Arab-Israeli conflict, US overtures to Iran and oil at King Abdullah's farm.

Washington hopes Saudi Arabia will play a moderating role in the Organization of Petroleum Exporters (OPEC) after oil prices hit a 7-month high, threatening Obama's efforts to lift the US out of recession.

Saudi Arabia wants Obama to get tough with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has balked at Palestinian statehood and rebuffed US calls to halt settlement building.

The king was also expected to express his worries that Obama's diplomatic overtures to Iran may rejig regional relationships at Riyadh's expense.

'Seeds of revenge'

Shortly after Obama arrived, Al Jazeera television aired a recording by Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in which he said the US president had planted seeds for "revenge and hatred" towards the United States in the Muslim world.

Bin Laden said Obama was continuing in the steps of his predecessor George W. Bush and told Americans to be prepared for the consequences of the White House's policies.

"Let the American people prepare to continue to reap what has been planted by the heads of the White House in the coming years and decades," bin Laden said.

Obama's policies in Pakistan had raised "animosity" among Muslims, he said.

On Tuesday, Al-Qaida second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri had urged Egyptians not to be seduced by Obama's 'polished words' when he makes his planned speech in Cairo.

"His bloody messages were received and are still being received by Muslims, and they will not be concealed by public relations campaigns or by farcical visits or elegant words," Zawahri said in a posting on militant websites.

Al-Qaida has repeatedly lashed out at Obama since he was elected, a move some analysts believe indicates the terrorist organization is worried he will be effective in improving the US image in the Muslim world.

Obama hopes to mend a US image damaged by Bush's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the treatment of US military detainees. He was due to spend the night at the Saudi king's farm before flying to Cairo for his speech to the Muslim world, which will fulfill a campaign promise last year to deliver an address from a Muslim capital early in his administration.

Reuters-AP