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                  Saudi Prince Meets with Obama, Top Officials

   by VOA News

   Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has met with
   President Barack Obama in the Oval Office as part if a Washington visit
   packed with high-level meetings.

   The 30-year-old crown prince, son of King Salman, serves as deputy
   prime minister and defense minister of his country. He has been a major
   force in plans to revamp Saudi Arabia's economy, reducing its
   dependence on oil revenues by 2030.

   Despite his youth, the prince is considered a power player in the Saudi
   government, and accordingly he has met with many of the Obama
   administration's most important officials. It is significant, too, that
   President Obama met with the crown prince in the Oval Office, a
   location usually reserved for meetings with heads of state.

   He has also met with members of Congress and  Secretary of State John
   Kerry.

   Speaking to reporters at the Saudi embassy in Washington, Foreign
   Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters that Prince Mohammed met
   Thursday with his counterpart, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter. He
   said the two discussed bilateral relations, as well as the situations
   in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and Iran.

   Jubeir said the crown prince reiterated Saudi Arabia's support for more
   "robust intervention" in Syria, including arming the opposition. The
   spokesman said until the balance of power in Syria is changed "in a
   dramatic way," there is no incentive for a political transition.

   Questioned about the possible release of U.S. classified documents
   reportedly showing Saudi Arabian ties to the September 11, 2001 attacks
   on the United States, Jubeir said the Saudi kingdom had requested the
   release of those documents in 2002 when they were first deemed
   "classified" by the United States. He said his country cannot respond
   to so-called "blank pages" and added, "This is an American matter."

   The prince also met earlier in the week with the president's National
   Economic Council, including Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, to discuss
   Prince Mohammed's plans for economic reform.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/saudi-prince-meets-obama-top-officials/3381155.html