Readout of the President's Call with King Salman

President Obama spoke today to King Salman bin Abd al Aziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia to follow up on their meeting at the White House on September 4, 2015.  They discussed regional issues, including Yemen and recent violence and tensions at Jerusalem’s Haram Al-Sharif/Temple Mount. 

On Yemen, President Obama and King Salman discussed further steps taken since the King’s visit to address the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, including the U.S. announcement of an additional nearly $90 million in humanitarian funding.  They reaffirmed their commitment to work expeditiously to allow for unfettered access to all forms of humanitarian assistance, including fuel, into Yemen, and the opening of Red Sea ports.  Both leaders agreed on the urgency of the full resumption of UN-facilitated Yemeni peace talks without preconditions.

President Obama and King Salman reiterated the strong, close ties between our countries and their personal commitment to continued consultations on a range of regional and bilateral issues.