Alarmed US sends top official to Jeddah

A top US official has expressed Washington’s firm support to the Persian Gulf states during a visit to Saudi Arabia amid the major political changes taking place in the region.

US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns on Wednesday affirmed his country’s “firm and enduring commitment to [Persian] Gulf security” in Jeddah during his meeting with King Abdullah, AFP quoted the US consulate as saying.

Burns’s two-day trip has come after a former Saudi spy chief warned the US it ran the risk of “risk losing the little credibility it has in the Arab world” if it opposed the Palestinians’ statehood bid.

The Palestinians are preparing to submit a formal request to become the 194th member of the United Nations, despite US and Israeli opposition, when the General Assembly begins its meetings on September 20.

Prince Turki al-Faisal, former chief of Saudi intelligence services and ex-Saudi ambassador to Washington, wrote in an opinion piece in Monday’s The New York Times, “With most of the Arab world in upheaval, the ‘special relationship’ between Saudi Arabia and the United States would increasingly be seen as toxic by the vast majority of Arabs and Muslims, who demand justice for the Palestinian people”.

If Washington imposes its veto at the UN Security Council then “Saudi Arabia would no longer be able to cooperate with America in the same way it historically has,” Prince Faisal wrote.

Burns “discussed the United States’ and Saudi Arabia’s shared interest in ensuring security and stability across the Middle East,” statement added.

During his visit to the kingdom, Burns “exchanged views (with Saudi leaders) on a range of issues, including peaceful transfer of power in Yemen, the need for political and economic support for the transitions underway in Egypt and Libya,” said the statement.