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Burns previews Obama pitch to Saudis

The US Deputy Secretary of State says that “the quality of the agreement” on Iran’s nuclear program will ultimately determine if Saudi Arabia’s concerns are addressed.
U.S. President Barack Obama (R) meets with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington June 29, 2010.        REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2FX2Z

WASHINGTON — For those eager to know what President Barack Obama will be telling King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia next month, comments Wednesday [Feb. 19] by Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns provided a likely preview.

Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Burns put forward a case for reducing US friction with the Saudis and other Sunni Arab powers, arguing that the US takes their concerns about Iran and Syria seriously and that “our Gulf partners know that no country or collection of countries can do for the Gulf states what the United States has done and continues to do.”

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