Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Monday, discussion topics ranging from the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, threats from Iran and the Saudi response to the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi last year, according to reports.
The Associated Press reports that Pompeo spent 35 minutes with Saudi King Salman and 45 minutes with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Pompeo was received at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Member of the Cabinet Adel Al-Jubeir and Prince Khalid Bin Salman, Saudi Ambassador to Washington, along with other officials. The two Saudi officials then held a more formal meeting with Pompeo, according to the Saudi Gazette.
Speaking with senior Saudi officials on his arrival in Riyadh late Sunday, Pompeo stressed the importance of supporting a political solution to end Yemen’s civil war and “the need for continued regional efforts to stand against the Iranian regime’s malign activity and to advance peace, prosperity, and security,” the State Department said.
Pompeo has accused the Houthi militia in Yemen of failing to comply with a cease-fire agreement for the flashpoint city of Hodeidah reached at UN-sponsored talks in Sweden, Arab News reports.
“The work that was done in Sweden on Yemen was good, but both sides (need) to honor those commitments,” Pompeo said.
“Today, the Iranian-backed Houthis have chosen not to do that.”
