Saudi Arabia’s King Salman visits White House

OREANDA-NEWS. September 08, 2015. President Barack Obama and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdel-Aziz were to discuss issues ranging from the Iran nuclear agreement to energy matters, as the two leaders met today at the White House.

Obama, speaking before the session, said the two will talk about "the importance of effectively implementing the deal to ensure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon, while counteracting its destabilizing activities in the region."

The meeting comes two days after Obama drummed up enough support in the Senate to ensure that the Republican-controlled Congress will be unable to scuttle the 14 July agreement the US and other global powers reached with Iran, trading nuclear concessions for oil and petrochemical sanctions relief.

Obama said they also will discuss the two countries' joint effort to combat Islamist group Isis, as well as the broader civil war in Syria and the conflict in Yemen.

And Obama planned to raise the issue of climate change.

Salman, speaking through an interpreter, said the Middle East "must achieve stability, which is essential for the prosperity of its people." In Saudi Arabia, "we are prosperous, but we want prosperity for the entire region."

Opec's largest oil producer, Saudi Arabia's production averaged 10.36mn b/d in August, comparable to its July output.

This is Salman's first visit to the US since becoming king in January. He embarrassed Obama in May when he abruptly decided not to attend a summit Obama was hosting with leaders from the Gulf Co-operation Council member states to discuss security issues in the wake of an Iran nuclear deal.

In conjunction with the king's visit, the US-Saudi Arabian Business Council, the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority and the Council of Saudi Chambers is hosting a US-Saudi investment forum in Washington. Saudi Arabia is trying to attract foreign investment in a number of areas, including downstream and petrochemicals.