Readout of the President's Call with King Salman bin Abd al Aziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia

President Obama spoke today by phone with King Salman bin Abd al Aziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia. They exchanged views on developments in the Middle East since the King's visit to Washington in September 2015. They reaffirmed the need to cooperate closely to counter the shared threat from ISIL and to establish the conditions for a political transition in Syria. Toward that end, they committed to increasing support for the moderate Syrian opposition and cooperating closely to build on the constructive talks in Vienna on October 23 among Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, and the United States. Separately, the President and King Salman welcomed Yemeni parties' commitment to a second round of United Nations-facilitated talks aimed at ending the conflict, and agreed on the urgent need to expand the free flow of humanitarian assistance, fuel, and commercial goods. The two leaders pledged to remain in close contact on these and related issues, and reaffirmed the strong and enduring strategic partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia.