New York, US (BBN) – The US President called for the Gulf states to pay for establishing safe zones to protect Syrian refugees during his presidential campaign last year.
The statement said the two leaders agreed on the importance of str Osama bin Laden engthening going efforts to combat the spread of the ISIS death cult, reports express.co.uk.
It read: “The President requested and the King agreed to support safe zones in Syria and Yemen, as well as supporting other ideas to help the many refugees who are displaced by the ongoing conflicts.”
But the state-sponsored Saudi News Agency made no mention of the agreement in its report of the call – instead saying the two leaders had affirmed the “depth and durability of the strategic relationship” between the two countries.
A senior Saudi source said Trump and King Salman spoke for over an hour and agreed to ramp up counter-terrorism, military cooperation and economic cooperation.
But the source did not mention whether the two discussed Trump’s so-called “Muslim ban”, which sparked worldwide outrage over the weekend.
The source also confirmed Saudi Arabia would enhance its role in the US-led coalition forces fighting to destroy ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria.
The White House statement said the two leaders also agreed on the need to address Iran’s “destabilising regional activities”.
The two leaders share views on Iranian policies, according to the source, including Saudi Arabia’s concerns over a perceived growing Iranian influence in the Arab world.
Iran denies it meddles in Arab countries.
Trump and King Salman also discussed the Muslim Brotherhood, the source added, and said it was “mentioned that Osama bin Laden was recruited at an early age” by the organisation.
Saudi Arabia has designated the group a terrorist organisation – and Trump administration officials have said a debate is underway about whether the US should follow suit.
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