Obama praises U.S.-Saudi cooperation on counterterrorism

U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday praised bilateral cooperation with Saudi Arabia on counterterrorism, including the ongoing battle against the Islamic State extremist group.

In a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House, Obama said U.S.-Saudi ties have been "absolutely critical not only to maintaining stability in the region but also protecting the American people."

Speaking of Riyadh as "a critical part" of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State, the president said he would discuss the progress being made when he meets with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council member states -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- on Thursday at Camp David, a presidential retreat in the state of Maryland.

Saudi King Salman's decision to skip the summit is seen as a snub to the Obama administration and meant to show its unhappiness over U.S. Middle East policies, including the nuclear talks with Iran and Washington's inaction over the conflict in Syria.

Obama invited in early April the Gulf leaders for a summit when a framework deal was reached over Iran's nuclear program, with a view to garnering their support for continuing negotiations with Tehran toward a final agreement by June 30.

The Gulf countries are wary of such a deal, however, fearful of an Iran expanding its influence in the region and engaging in more what they call destabilizing activities.

Crown Prince Nayef told Obama that his country attaches "great importance" to the "strategic and historic" relationship with Washington, pledging to work with Washington to "overcome the challenges and bring about calm and stability to the region."

Obama said the conflicts in Syria and Yemen will also dominate the Camp David talks. Endite