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US, Saudi still far apart on regional issues

Saudi Arabia and the United States have competing visions for the future of the Middle East, with Saudi regional policy deeply rooted in its own domestic concerns.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud talk before a meeting at the King's desert encampment in Rawdat al-Khuraim January 5, 2014. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/Pool (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS) - RTX172WK
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As US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns explained in his Feb. 19 speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, combating extremism and containing its expansion in countries such as Syria and Yemen remain common goals shared by Washington and Riyadh. According to Burns, the United States, in partnership with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, was trying to manage the transitional process taking place in the Arab world in a manner that would lead to the establishment of responsible, responsive and moderate governments.

Moreover, the United States sought to guarantee that the comprehensive political process in Egypt be welcoming to all, including the Muslim Brotherhood, and offer support to the Iraqi government by embracing Shiite political forces in order to distance them from Iran. This comes in addition to backing the Bahraini national dialogue in a manner conducive to achieving results that would lead to some measure of sustained stability.

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