Saudi crown prince, Blinken have 'candid' conversation

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Saudi Arabia's crown prince in the early hours of Wednesday and discussed a wide range of bilateral issues in an "open, candid" conversation, a US official said.

The top US diplomat arrived in Saudi Arabia late on Tuesday for a much anticipated visit amid frayed ties due to deepening disagreements on everything from Iran policy to regional security issues, oil prices and human rights.

Blinken's three-day visit to the oil-rich kingdom will also focus on efforts to end conflicts in Sudan and Yemen, the joint battle against the Islamic State group and the Arab world's relations with Israel.

His trip comes at a time of fast-shifting alliances in the Middle East, centered around a China-brokered rapprochement in March between regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Another landmark change saw Syrian President Bashar al-Assad invited back to the Arab League last month for the first time since the start of the 12-year civil war.

Blinken met Saudi Arabia's de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for an hour and 40 minutes, and the two men had "an open, candid discussion that covered the full range of regional and bilateral issues", a US official said on condition of anonymity.

A good part of the discussion was expected to be dominated by the possible normalization of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, even though officials had played down the likelihood of any immediate or major progress on the issue.

"They discussed the potential for normalization of relations with Israel and agreed to continued dialogue on the issue," the US official said, without providing further details.

In a statement, the United States Department of State said they discussed their "shared commitment to advance stability, security and prosperity across the Middle East and beyond".

Apart from meeting Prince Mohammed and other Saudi officials, Blinken will also attend an anti-Islamic State meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh and meet with foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council. The six-nation GCC includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Agencies Via Xinhua