Saudi deputy crown prince requests meeting on Yemen with United Nations chief

US President Barack Obama hosted youthful Saudi Arabian Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House on Friday (June 17), underscoring his guest’s meteoric rise and increasingly pivotal role in managing strained US-Saudi ties.

Bin Salman is now visiting the U.S.

The 30-year-old crown prince, son of King Salman, serves as deputy prime minister and defense minister of his country.

White House spokeswoman Jennifer Friedman said Mr Obama thanked Saudi Arabia for its contribution to the coalition fighting ISIL.

Prince Mohammed is also sure to address another of his signature policies – Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, which has been a point of deep contention between the White House and the royal court.

US officials have expressed unease about the Saudi-led campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen, which according to the United Nations and human rights groups has resulted in large numbers of civilian casualties.

Amid disagreements over the U.S. nuclear deal with Iran, economic reform appears to be a much-needed issue that could bring Riyadh and Washington together. She says the leaders spoke about the need for a political transition in Syria away from President Bashar Assad. The United States is working with global partners on what it calls a Syrian-led transition process facilitated by the United Nations, but so far there has been little progress.

Prince Mohammed, whose influence in Saudi governing councils appears to be growing rapidly, is being given wide access to Obama’s administration.

In Washington, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said his country works hard to minimize civilian casualties in Yemen and uphold worldwide humanitarian law.

But when asked today about such comments, Al Jubeir said the topic was not discussed at the White House or in any meeting thus far.

Questioned about the possible release of USA classified documents reportedly showing Saudi Arabian ties to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Jubeir said the Saudi kingdom had requested the release of those documents in 2002 when they were first deemed “classified” by the United States. Jubeir said investigations show that the allegations “are not correct and they don’t hold”.

Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants to discuss the controversy involving a Saudi-led coalition being placed on, and then removed, from a blacklist over the killing and injuring of about 1,200 children in the conflict in Yemen a year ago.