Obama seeks stronger ties with Gulf states as summit kicks off

U.S. President Barack Obama met on Thursday with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in the Saudi capital Riyadh to mend strained ties and seek more consensus.

The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The White House said the U.S.-GCC summit would be an opportunity for leaders to discuss issues such as the fight against the IS group, regional conflicts, and sectarian tensions.

It is Obama's fourth visit to the oil-rich Gulf nation since taking office in 2009.

The kingdom is seen as one of Washington's most important strategic allies in the Middle East, but bilateral relations were strained by the nuclear deal reached with Iran last year.

A day earlier, President Obama met with King Salman bin Abdulaziz at Erga Palace in Riyadh.

Obama underscored the importance of accelerating the campaign against the Islamic State (IS) and welcomed Saudi Arabia's important role in the coalition against the terrorist group, read a White House statement.

The two leaders also discussed regional conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, and challenges posed by Iran's provocative activities.

Also on Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter held talks with his Gulf Arab counterparts on military cooperation and the latest developments in the Middle East, including what were described as Iran's destabilizing activities and the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, said GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani.

The U.S.-GCC summit comes on the heels of Obama's criticism of Saudi Arabia's regional role, which prompted a strong rebuke from the Saudi royal family.

In a recent interview with The Atlantic, Obama described Saudi Arabia and other allies as "free riders" on U.S. foreign policy, and criticized what he saw as Riyadh's funding of religious intolerance.

Almost a year ago, in May 2015, Obama hosted leaders of Gulf nations at the White House and the Camp David retreat, the first meeting of the Gulf countries after a framework agreement on limiting Iran's nuclear program.

Except for Kuwait and Qatar, top leaders from four of the six-member GCC countries were absent from the 2015 summit.

The Persian Gulf nations, Saudi Arabia in particular, have repeatedly raised concerns that the accord will further empower Iran to interfere in Arab affairs.

The tensions reached a new high in January when Riyadh and a number of its Sunni Arab allies cut diplomatic ties with Tehran, after mobs ransacked the Saudi embassy in response to the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia. Endit