President Barack Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia on Saturday came with a decision to dramatically expand America’s covert programme to assist the Free Syrian Army, a key concern for Saudi Arabia which has been struggling to topple the presidency of Syrian leader Bashar Al Assad.
According to Saudi sources, this is the single most important pledge made by Obama to King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, which would now translate into accelerated military transfers from Saudi stocks blocked in Jordan for several months.
It remains to be determined what type of weapons will be transferred or whether Washington will accept that Riyadh hand over shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles known as Manpads (Man-portable air-defence systems) to end the devastating use of air force planes and helicopters by the Syrian Arab Army in bombarding civilian targets.
With this critical visit, President Obama assured King Abdullah that he was a realist at heart, even if the conundrum he faced was palpable in more ways than one.
The two men disagreed on Egypt and a few other issues, though no one expected a full and complete meeting of the minds.
Nevertheless, by engaging senior Al Saud ruling family members, Obama gained fresh insight into Saudi motivations, especially their determination to stand firm on core concerns.
For its part, Riyadh continues to perceive Washington as a solid ally, though it remains to be determined whether Obama professed any reciprocity.
King Abdullah was crystal clear on core questions including preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, ending the civil war in Syria, launching counter-terrorism efforts to combat extremism, including those of the Muslim Brotherhood variety, and supporting negotiations to achieve peace in the Middle East.
He stressed his desire to see Washington rise to the occasion. According to two senior members of the ruling Al Saud family, the two-hour-long discussion between King Abdullah and Obama was “frank” and, as expected, comprehensive. Follow-up meetings between the Obama team and heir apparent Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Muqrin Abdul Aziz were, apparently, equally fruitful.
In fact, Saudi officials described the talks as “useful,” notwithstanding sharp disagreements on several key issues, although local papers confirmed that the eight-decade-old strategic alliance retained every aspect of its value.
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