King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, held a meeting with the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Rawdha Khuraim on the outskirts of the city of Riyadh Monday. In attendance at Clinton's reception were Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz, head of General Intelligence, Prince Mut'ib Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, National Guard Vice President for Executive Affairs, and other senior officials. On the US side, the meeting was attended by James Smith, the US Ambassador to the Kingdom; Jeffrey D. Feltman, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; and Philip G. Crowly, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. Clinton met Saudi leaders aiming to rally support for tough new UN sanctions against Iran, which she warned is turning into a “military dictatorship” bent on building a nuclear bomb. Clinton flew in from Qatar earlier Monday on her first visit to the Kingdom, after using some of the strongest language yet about events in Iran from an administration which just a year ago had sought to hold out the hand of friendship. The chief US diplomat first went straight into talks with her Saudi counterpart Prince Saud Al-Faisal before heading to the desert camp. During the meeting with the King, the developments in Palestine and the international efforts to revive the troubled peace process in the region were discussed. “The peace process is the main issue, of course,” said Saudi Foreign Ministry spokesman Osama Nugali. “Our position is still the same... that we need to revive the peace process.” A number of other local and international issues were also on the agenda of the talks. Clinton's top assistant for the Middle East, Jeffrey Feltman, told reporters traveling with her that China had an “important trading relationship” with Saudi Arabia. “We would expect them (the Saudis) ... to use their relationship in ways that can help increase the pressure that Iran feels,” said Feltman. Speaking to students earlier in Qatar, Clinton said the whole region had reason to fear Iran's nuclear program and the growing influence of the elite Revolutionary Guards. She said that the US was not aiming to use military action to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions but rather seeking to build support for tough new sanctions at the UN Security Council. In Qatar, Clinton said she was optimistic that Mideast peace talks would resume this year. “I'm hopeful that this year will see the commencement of serious negotiations,” she said. On Tuesday Clinton will meet in Jeddah with the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, to discuss issues concerning the Islamic World. She is also scheduled to address students at the Dar Al-Hekma College. The US secretary of state is also expected to address the ongoing Jeddah Economic Forum.
