The United States and Persian Gulf leaders plan to emphasize their shared commitment to close defense and security cooperation in a joint statement to be issued at the end of their Camp David summit Thursday.
The draft text, obtained by CNN, states that the countries met to “reaffirm and deepen the strong partnership” between them and reiterates the U.S. pledge to help the Gulf countries “defend themselves against external threats.”
The summit comes as the Gulf Cooperation Council bloc — comprised of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — are particularly concerned about an emerging U.S. deal with Iran over its nuclear program, which they worry will empower arch-foe Tehran.
The communique and fact sheets seen by CNN outline U.S. commitments to the GCC including expediting arms transfers to the region, staging a new large-scale military exercise against terror and cyber attacks, and forming a new partnership to improve counterterrorism and missile defense cooperation.
The texts also include explicit language about Iran sought by the Gulf powers.
“They committed to work together to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region,” reads the draft, which also called on Tehran to take steps to resolve its differences with neighbors by peaceful means.
They joint statement also reaffirms the U.S. undertaking to “seek to prevent the resupply of Houthi forces,” backed by Iran, who have ousted the government in Yemen, which was allied with the gulf and the West. And it stresses opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying that he has “lost all legitimacy and has no role in Syria’s future.”
The documents are set to be unveiled at the end of the summit late Thursday afternoon.
Throughout the day, President Barack Obama huddled with a bevy of Gulf leaders in the mountains of western Maryland to hash out their deep divides over the potential nuclear deal and regional threats.
The summit of Gulf leaders was conceived after a preliminary deal with Iran was struck early last month. But when leaders arrived for a working session with Obama Thursday, only two heads-of-state were included in the roster. Other nations chose instead to send lower-ranking officials.
U.S. officials hoped the wooded setting in the Catoctin Mountains would foster a relaxed dynamic in the discussions, which have also included Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who is steeped in the details of the Iran nuclear deal.
Before the summit began, Arab diplomatic officials said the Gulf states themselves had decided to cool the temperature and accentuate the positive in meetings with the U.S. officials.
The gulf countries have been seeking a more significant upgrade of their security alliance than the U.S. is willing to confer, despite the planned U.S. boost to arms, training and other security measures.
The GCC foreign ministers met Tuesday night and agreed that, though they weren’t getting everything they wanted from the U.S., they are going to build on what they are getting. They want this to be the first of a regular summit, with the next one in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, next year.
Still, the lack of participation by GCC leaders has been widely perceived as a sign that many of its members are displeased with what the U.S. is offering and want to convey displeasure at various administration policies, including talks with Iran over its nuclear program.
Only the leaders of Qatar and Kuwait are attending, with the king of Saudi Arabia canceling at the last minute and Bahrain’s king attending the Royal Windsor Horse Show outside London. While there, he is expected to meet with Queen Elizabeth II.
At the summit kickoff Wednesday, however, there were no signs of tension as President Barack Obama welcomed two officials from Saudi Arabia to the White House and declared the relationship between the two countries remained strong.
“The United States and Saudi Arabia have an extraordinary relationship and friendship that dates back to Franklin Roosevelt,” Obama said at the beginning of his meeting in the Oval Office with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Both U.S. administration officials and Saudi government aides said there was no snub intended by Saudi King Salman’s withdrawal of his RSVP over the weekend.
Saudi Arabia “has been absolutely critical not only to maintaining stability in the region but also protecting the American people,” Obama said.
Obama took a tough tone on Iran in a rare interview in a foreign newspaper, telling Asharq al Awsat in a story published Wednesday that the country “clearly engages in dangerous and destabilizing behavior in different countries across the region.”
“Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism,” Obama said in the interview. “So countries in the region are right to be deeply concerned about Iran’s activities, especially its support for violent proxies inside the borders of other nations.”
The language appeared partly designed to help assuage fears among gulf leaders about the empowered Iran that they fear could result from a successful nuclear deal with the United States and other international negotiating partners.
Before the meetings began on Wednesday, administration officials said the White House is moving toward significantly upgrading the status of its alliance with key Middle East states, and is likely to provide “major non-NATO ally” status to GCC members.
Such a designation provides privileges only otherwise available to NATO allies, including special military training and assistance. It could also loosen restrictions on weapons sales.
While these arrangements are ones the gulf states are eager for, the move falls short of the formal defense pact several gulf states are seeking.