The Saudi royal family was not assuaged by the visit of Defense
Secretary Robert Gates in May, officials said. They said Gates, despite his
promises of additional U.S. weapons and training, was treated cooly by
Abdullah and his aides.
"The president believes it's an important opportunity to discuss
important business, like Middle East peace, but it's not born out of
anything specific," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.
In Riyad, Gibbs said, Obama would discuss U.S. policy toward Iran and
particularly its nuclear program. The spokesman said the president would also seek Saudi
support for U.S. efforts to establish a Palestinian state in the West Bank.
But officials said the surprise Saudi visit stemmed from the
cancellation of a summit between Egypt and the United States in late May.
They said Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, citing the death of his grandson, decided
to cancel his trip to Washington in coordination with Saudi King Abdullah.
"There are a few Arab states who are very anxious over our policy
toward Iran and have dismissed U.S. promises to compensate by additional
weapons and an accelerated Israeli-Palestinian peace process," the official
said.
Officials said Obama was persuaded to visit Riyad before his scheduled
address to the Muslim world in Cairo on June 4 and personally assure
Abdullah that Saudi interests would not be harmed under any U.S.
reconciliation with Teheran. They cited Saudi influence in the Gulf
Cooperation Council as well as the kingdom's role as the world's leading
supplier of crude oil and weapons importer.
"The Saudis have a way of speaking volumes through their silence,"
another official said. "There is clearly a need to clear the air."
