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White house welcomes Saudi King's visit

WASHINGTON, Sept 3 (KUNA) -- Two senior White House officials lauded the US-Saudi Arabia ties in all fields ahead of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz's official visit to Washington this Friday and his meeting with President Barack Obama.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday night, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes said the important visit takes place at a time when President Obama's administration seeks to advance the agenda of the US-GCC summit in Camp David last May.
The two leaders are expected to discuss a range of key issues relating to the security of the Middle East and the Gulf region, the Iranian nuclear program, the recent attempts to destabilize the Gulf region, and the situations in Yemen and Syria, Rhodes said.
Their meeting will further strengthen the bilateral ties and crown the top-level contacts since the visit to Riyadh by President Obama in January, he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Senior Director for the Middle East, National Security Council Jeff Prescott said the United States maintains exemplary relationship with all GCC member states, particularly Saudi Arabia, in vital areas such as security, defense, economy, energy and education.
The US administration is committed to advancing the Camp David agenda and boosting the defense capabilities of the GCC states in the face of the Iranian attempts to destabilize the region, Prescott affirmed.
He added that the US is looking forward to the joint ministerial meeting with GCC states later this year to follow through the Camp David agenda and help solve the problems of the region. (end) yt.gb