Obama promises Persian Gulf allies 'all elements of U.S. power' to guard against militant aggression

By Doug G. Ware

 

President Barack Obama on Thursday assured allied leaders in the Persian Gulf that the United States is committed to upholding the security of their nations in the region's climate of ongoing political instability.

Obama's arrival in Saudi Arabia Wednesday is part of a plan to allay fears there that Washington may not be fully dedicated to its Persian allies. In a series of private meetings, the president met with the leaders of six nations and pledged American support.

"We remain united in our fight to destroy ISIL, or Daesh, which is a threat to all of us," Obama said at a media session after an introduction by Saudi King Salman. "The United States will help our Gulf Coast Countries partners ensure that their Special Operations Forces are interoperable, and GCC nations will continue to increase their contributions to the fight against ISIL and the coalition that we formed.

"We'll continue to offer support to Iraq as it liberates and stabilizes towns and cities from ISIL control, and we'll remain leading donors of humanitarian aid to the peoples of Syria and Iraq."

Thursday's summit comes nearly a year after a similar gathering at the president's retreat at Camp David last May.

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"Last year, at our summit at Camp David, we agreed to build an even stronger partnership between our nations," Obama recalled. "We already had strong bilateral relations and, collectively, had a shared vision of peace and prosperity in the region. But we felt that we could do more, given the new challenges that had arisen. Today, we reviewed the important progress that we've made together."

Militant groups, like the Islamic State, have for years held contempt for world leaders for continuing friendly diplomatic relations with the United States -- particularly those in Persian Gulf states, whom radical Islamic extremists view as infidels.
"I reaffirmed the policy of the United States to use all elements of our power to secure our core interests in the Gulf region, and to deter and confront external aggression against our allies and our partners," Obama said. "And we reached a common vision on how to move forward, together, in key areas."

"I would like to emphasize the keenness and commitment of the GCC countries to develop historical and strategic relations between our respective countries and the United States of America to serve our mutual interest as well as the security and peace of the region and the world," King Salman said in his introduction.

Obama pledged to work closely with GCC leaders on several fronts, including Iran and Syria, which is presently the focus of deteriorating United Nations-sponsored peace talks.

"In Syria ... This violence is yet another reminder that there's only one way to end this civil war, as our GCC partners agree -- a transitional governing body, a new constitution with free elections, including a transition away from Assad," he said.

"I thanked our GCC partners for their support of the comprehensive deal that has now cut off every single one of Iran's pathways to a nuclear weapon... With regard to Libya, we agreed to keep building support for the new national unity government... With regard to Yemen, we urged all parties to abide by the cessation of hostilities so that humanitarian aid can be reached to the Yemeni people and the peace process can proceed."

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"The leaders discussed regional conflicts," Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said. "That gave them an opportunity to review the situations in Syria, in Yemen, in Iraq, and across the region broadly."

"I think on the core issues there's agreement about where we want to go," press secretary Josh Earnest added. "Even with some of the debates that have taken place, we've been able to broadly align our approaches and make progress, and we want to continue that here in Saudi Arabia."

Obama promises Persian Gulf allies 'all elements of U.S. power' to guard against militant aggression

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