The de facto leader of Saudi Arabia and the White House’s National Security Advisor have reportedly discussed an almost final version of an agreement aimed at reinforcing security ties between the two countries.
Their meeting between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Jake Sullivan took place in the Saudi city of Dhahran, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reports.
Following this, Sullivan is set to travel to Israel for talks on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the White House stated.
The Gulf kingdom’s talks centred on “the near-final version of the draft strategic agreements between the kingdom and the United States, which is on the verge of being finalised,” SPA stated.
Both parties also discussed “the work carried out by both sides on the Palestinian issue, to find a credible pathway towards a two-state solution that addresses the aspirations of the Palestinian people and its legitimate rights,” as well as efforts to end the war and facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Palestinian territory, the same source added.
The US administration is looking to secure an agreement that would, for the first time, see the oil-rich monarchy recognise Israel in return for a defence pact with Washington and US assistance for a civil nuclear programme, complete with uranium enrichment capabilities.
