Obama aims to soothe Saudi fears with Riyadh visit
Source: Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama will seek to ease Saudi concerns that he is neglecting an old ally when he visits Riyadh on Friday, months after top Saudis objected to what they saw as a growing rapprochement between Washington and their rival Iran.
Rifts over Middle East policy came to a head last year when Washington worked with other powers to ease sanctions on Iran in exchange for concessions on its disputed nuclear programme, and backed away from air strikes on Tehran's ally Syria.
Senior figures in predominantly Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia - which competes for influence in the region with Shi'ite Muslim power Iran - warned in October and November there might be a "major shift" away from Washington and Riyadh might "go it alone".
Obama, on his first trip to the world's top oil producer since 2009, is expected to try to clear the air after the rare public spat, and to find common ground on Syria's civil war and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, said officials.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/25/us-obama-saudi-idUSBREA2O0QU20140325
= new reply since forum marked as read
- It just seemed apropos......
[center]You must remember this, a kiss is still a kiss.
a sigh is just a sigh.
The fundamental things apply,
as time goes by.
And when two lovers woo, they still say I love you.
on that you can rely.
No matter what the future brings,
as time goes by.
Moonlight and love songs, never out-of-date,
hearts full of passion, jealousy and hate.
Woman needs man and man must have his mate,
that no one can deny.
It's still the same old story,
the fight for love and glory, a case of do or die.
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by.
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by........
[/center]
Those pictures are so bizarre. You know they must have been worth a billion or two.
Yikes.
Let them spin, worry and consider some reforms.
