Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The administration of President Barack Obama has
acknowledged a dispute with Saudi Arabia.

The White House has assessed that the United States and Saudi Arabia
disagreed on a range of issues regarding threats in the Middle East. A
senior official cited Egypt, Iran and Syria.

This marked the first admission by the White House of a Saudi feud with the United States.

Saudi officials have warned that they would take independent action on a range of Middle East issues and support Egypt’s new military rulers.

“These are tactics rather than strategic objectives,” National Security Advisor Susan Rice said.

In an address to the Washington Ideas Forum on Nov. 13, Ms. Rice, regarded as close to Obama, addressed a key dispute between Riyad and the United States. She said Saudi Arabia expected that Washington should support the new military-backed regime in Egypt in wake of the coup against its first Islamist president in July 2013.

“For example, on Egypt: the Saudi view has been that the interim
government, which came to power through some ambiguous events, to put it
diplomatically, ought to have the complete and unreserved endorsement of the
United States no matter what actions it takes,” Ms. Rice said.

For her part, Ms. Rice said the military must hold elections for a
democratic government in Egypt. She refrained from describing the overthrow
of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi a “coup.”

“Well, we think what happened in July was ambiguous,” Ms. Rice said. “We
recognize that even though a democratic government was removed, that that
removal came with the support of the vast, vast majority of Egyptians, who
had grown frustrated with the misgovernance and core policies of the Muslim
Brotherhood. We have tried to indicate to the Egyptian people and the
Egyptian government that we support them in their transition back to an
elected, democratic government.”

  “coup”, Mohammed Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood, Obama administration admits to feud with Saudi, Susan Rice