US President
Barack Obama has said the Gulf Arab monarchies have agreed to "increase
their contributions to the fight" against the Islamic State group.
As he
finished a summit in the Saudi capital with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC), Mr Obama also said: "We remain united in our fight to
destroy ISIL."
Saudi
Arabia, the Emirates and other Gulf countries joined the US-led bombing
campaign against the jihadist militants, though American officials say their
allies' involvement has tapered off.
But many of
the US-allied GCC members want more done to try to remove Syrian President
Bashar al Assad from power.
The Gulf
Arab states were upset by Mr Obama's remarks in a recent magazine article that
appeared to cast them as "free-riders" in US security efforts.
In the same
interview, he urged them to "share the neighbourhood" with their
arch-enemy Tehran.
"None of
our nations have an interest in conflict with Iran," Mr Obama said on
Thursday.
But he also
said the US would stay alert to Tehran's activities.
"We
will remain vigilant to make sure Iran fulfills its commitments, just as we
fulfill ours," Mr Obama said.
The Gulf
states, including Bahrain and Oman, have been sorely disappointed with Mr
Obama's presidency, believing the US has drawn back from the region.
They are
also deeply sceptical of his willingness to negotiate with Iran, especially
last year's nuclear deal with the Islamic republic.
The US would
ideally like the Gulf states to provide ground troops for the fight against IS.
But Saudi
Arabia has recently had its hands full attempting to drive out Shia rebels to
prop up Yemen’s government.
The GCC
summit follows talks that Mr Obama held with Saudi King Salman on Wednesday
shortly after arriving in the kingdom.
Besides
Saudi Arabia, the GCC includes the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman
and Bahrain.
It is likely
to have been Mr Obama's final visit to Saudi Arabia since becoming president.
He is now
heading to Britain and Germany.
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