Readout of the President's Call with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

President Obama spoke this afternoon by phone with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to exchange views on recent developments in the Middle East. They discussed the way forward for a political transition in Syria, following constructive talks in Vienna on October 23 among Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, and the United States. Separately, the President and Crown Prince welcomed Yemeni parties’ commitment to another round of United Nations-led talks aimed at ending the conflict and also discussed efforts to expand immediately the free flow of humanitarian assistance, fuel, and commercial goods. They noted the importance of maintaining pressure on al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and other terrorist groups. The President and the Crown Prince also reaffirmed the importance of Libya’s parties moving quickly to endorse the political agreement reached through United Nations-facilitated negotiations. They agreed to remain in close contact on these and related issues.