Kerry lauds Saudi role in Mideast stability
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sought to heal policy rifts with Saudi Arabia as hailed the kingdom's role as "the senior player" in the Middle East on Monday.
Kerry, speaking to employees at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh ahead of meetings with Saudi Arabia's king and foreign minister, said Saudi Arabia had assumed the Arab leadership mantle from Egypt, which is distracted by major domestic unrest. He said strengthening the U.S.-Saudi partnership is critical to Mideast security and stability and cementing tentative political transitions around the region.
<snip>
The Saudis have complained that the United States did not follow through on its threat to punish Syrian President Bashar Assad with military strikes for his government's use of chemical weapons. Last month, the Saudis won but turned down an elected seat on the U.N. Security Council, saying the body had proved itself largely meaningless because of its inability over two years to address the crisis in Syria. The Saudis also have watched with increasing nervousness as President Barack Obama has approved a cautious opening with their archrival Iran.
Eager to soothe the frustration, Kerry was effusive in his praise of the Saudis, noting a slow, but steady domestic transformation with new emphases on education and health. He did not specifically refer to recent protests against restrictions on women being able to drive but noted that people who live in the country can see that "there are things that are changing."
<snip>
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/11/04/kerry-lauds-saudi-role-in-mideast-stability/3430883/
