Obama meets HH King Abdullah in KSA

Media reports claimed that Saudi Arabia was becoming increasingly frustrated with the US’ foreign policy in the Middle East, starting with its support for the popular uprisings of 2011’s Arab Spring.

As Opec’s number one oil producer, it was also reported that Saudi Arabia has become concerned over the US’ temporary easing of sanctions against Iran, a move that could see an increase in Iranian influence in the region.

According to news agency Reuters, those concerns had led top Saudi officials to warn of a “major shift” from Washington and that the Kingdom might “go it alone” in future.

Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said before Obama and His Highness King Abdullah met late on Friday night that the relationship had improved since the autumn thanks to better coordination regarding the war in Syria.

But the comments made by a senior administration official later on Friday did not indicate any shift in areas where the two sides have disagreed.

“It’s too early to judge whether the meeting is successful. Judge and jury on this is if the American policy on Syria changes quickly enough,” said Mustafa Alani, a security analyst with close ties to the kingdom’s Interior Ministry.

That point was echoed by Abdullah al-Askar, chairman of the foreign affairs committee in Saudi Arabia’s Shoura Council, a body appointed by King Abdullah to discuss policy issues and advise the government.

“As you know, before the visit the relationship was a cold one, but not to a degree where it was in danger,” he said, adding that he was speaking in a personal capacity and did not have direct knowledge of what Obama and Abdullah discussed.

But Askar added that although the meeting had appeared to go smoothly, it was not yet possible to judge its success. “We can figure out on the ground…if there is a change (in U.S. policy), it means the Americans now understand the real story.”