Secretary of State John Kerry is in Jeddah today for talks with the Saudi Arabian government and other allies as the U.S. seeks a broad, cooperative effort in defeating the Islamic State.
Saudi Arabia has agreed to provide bases for the training of moderate Syrian rebels who are battling the Sunni militants and the Assad government in Damascus, the New York Times reports.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the regional meeting in Jeddah today included the “Foreign Ministers of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, with the participation of Secretary of State of the United States of America, to discuss the issue of terrorism in the region, the extremist organizations supporting terrorism, and means to combat terrorism. The meeting was chaired by Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs.”
John Kerry speaks at a meeting in Jeddah on September 10th.
In a boost for U.S.-Saudi ties, The Obama administration is “eager for the campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, to be perceived as a broad international effort that includes prominent Sunni states, rather than as a clash of civilizations that pits the United States against radical Islam. Mr. Kerry was expected to ask the Arab states to step up their condemnations of ISIS and of Islamic extremists,” the New York Times reports. “On the military front, the United States is pursuing discussions with regional defense ministers to discuss the expansion of bases and overflight rights so that the United States and other nations can expand the intensity and scope of airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.”
According to the Washington Post, Kerry and Prince Saud al-Faisal met separately before the “hastily arranged” general gathering of diplomats and leaders in the coastal Saudi city.
Before giving a primetime speech to the nation, President Obama on Wednesday called Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah “to discuss their shared concerns regarding the threat posed by the Islamic State…The President thanked King Abdullah for hosting Secretary John Kerry in Jeddah this week for a meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey, to advance efforts to build a regional and international coalition to counter ISIL in Iraq and Syria.”
In an important pivot in strategy, Obama plans to train and equip more moderate Syrian rebel factions, a plan that Saudi Arabia has encouraged for some time. According to a State Department readout of their phone call:
“The President and the King agreed on the need for increased training and equipping of the moderate Syrian opposition, consistent with the proposal that President Obama has made to the United States Congress. President Obama welcomed Saudi Arabia’s support for this program. Both leaders agreed that a stronger Syrian opposition is essential to confronting extremists like ISIL as well as the Assad regime, which has lost all legitimacy.”
“The President and King Abdullah pledged to continue their close consultations on these and a range of strategic regional issues, consistent with the longstanding U.S.-Saudi strategic partnership and the leadership role that Saudi Arabia plays in the region,” the readout said.
