Washington hosts Saudi Arabian Prince

Saudi Arabia’s deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (centre) walks into the West Wing of the White House in Washington escorted by deputy chief of protocol Mark E. Walsh (right). (Photo: AFP)

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

The 30-year-old deputy crown prince — who has become the driving force behind economic reform and a more activist Saudi foreign policy — swept into the West Wing with a band of aides. Mohammed bin Salman is the King’s son and the country’s defence minister, but he has met the very biggest of Washington’s big hitters during a week-long visit. He held talks with the CIA director, the secretaries of state, defence and treasury, as well as leading members of Congress.

The White House said Prince Mohammed’s meeting with Mr Obama will take place in the Oval Office, a rare honour for a non-head of state, one not afforded to the Dalai Lama earlier in the week.

Little is certain about the inner workings of the House of Saud, but the prince’s high public profile has led many to speculate that he could be the next on the throne, rather than designated Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. The meeting comes as ties between the US and Saudi Arabia are strained over how to approach Riyadh’s arch-enemy Iran, the war in Yemen and the seemingly imminent release of a US dossier about Saudi Arabian links to the September 11, 2001 attacks. High on the agenda of the meeting will be Prince Mohammed’s efforts to overhaul Saudi Arabia’s state-dominated and oil-dependent economy, bringing in the private sector and creating jobs for the country’s young population.