Gates holds talks with King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan

[Chief Editor]

Gates holds talks with King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah receives US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at his palace in Riyadh on Wednesday. (SPA)

By MD RASOOLDEEN | ARAB NEWS
Published: Mar 11, 2010 00:14 Updated: Mar 11, 2010 00:17



RIYADH: US Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday for a one-day visit to hold talks with Saudi officials on bilateral matters.

Gates arrived here following a three-day visit to Afghanistan, and will leave on Thursday morning. The secretary held separate talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation.

Gates’ visit precedes recent trips to Riyadh by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, head of United States Central Command Gen. David H. Petraeus, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen.

During his meeting with Prince Sultan, Gates reviewed aspects of cooperation between the two countries and discussed ways and means of enhancing them to strengthen bilateral relations. They also discussed the latest developments at the regional and international levels.

The meeting was attended by Prince Khaled bin Sultan, assistant minister of defense and aviation for military affairs, senior Saudi and US civil and military officials, and US Ambassador to the Kingdom James B. Smith.

Political circles reported that the talks focused on shared concerns over Iran’s nuclear intentions and ballistic missile program, the situation in Yemen and the proposed withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

According to news reports from Washington, US defense officials said Gates would discuss with King Abdullah US efforts to impose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

“The secretary will provide an update ... about where we are in our Iran policy, as we’ve pivoted from the engagement track to the pressure track,” an official is reported to have said. The United States has expanded land- and sea-based missile defense systems in and around the Gulf to counter what it sees as Iran’s growing missile threat, and arms sales to Gulf allies have risen sharply in recent years.

Saudi Arabia bought $3.3 billion worth of US arms in 2009, according to a Pentagon estimate. The Patriot missile systems, which were originally used in the region during the Gulf war to shoot down aircraft, have now been upgraded to hit missiles in flight.

Petraeus revealed in January that the US now has eight Patriot missile batteries stationed in the Gulf region — two each in four countries. He did not name the countries, but a military official told Associated Press that they are Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.

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