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| U.S. Secretary of State meets with King Abdullah in Riyadh |
John Kerry played down rifts with Saudi Arabia, saying relations between the two countries were "strategic and enduring" and that both agreed negotiations were the only way to stop Syria's civil war.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, in Riyadh after talks with King Abdullah, Mr Kerry said: "This is a deep relationship and it has endured for 75 years and it will endure well into the future."
He also reiterated Washington would not let Iran develop an atomic bomb. "The United States will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. That policy has not changed."
The Saudis have complained that the United States did not follow through on its threat to punish Syrian President Bashar Assad with military strikes for his government's use of chemical weapons.
Last month, the Saudis won but turned down an elected seat on the UN Security Council, saying the body had proved itself largely meaningless because of its inability over two years to address the crisis in Syria. The Saudis also have watched with increasing nervousness as President Barack Obama has approved a cautious opening with their archrival Iran. Read on and comment » | Alex Spillius, and Agencies | Monday, November 04, 2013
