The Obama Administration through a summit this week seeks to reassure Gulf countries about their security and relationship with the US in the aftermath of the Iranian nuclear deal which has raised concerns among countries in the region.
Except for the last minute change by the new Saudi King, the summit meeting between US President Barack Obama and leaders of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are all set to hold talks in Washington and Camp David - the presidential retreat - to address their concerns and issues emerging out of the recent developments in the region, in particular, the Iranian nuclear deal.
"All of these countries have joined us in the counter- ISIL coalition, and are playing an important role in our efforts to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL across the region," Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters.
"Clearly, there is significant interest in the GCC about Iran's destabilising actions in the region, and this will be an opportunity both to review the status of negotiations with respect to Iran's nuclear programme but also to review our efforts to counter those destabilising actions in different countries across the region," he said.
"We'll also be discussing our commitment to strengthening the security of our Gulf partners and our cooperation on behalf of our mutual security interests in countering terrorism and promoting a more stable region.
"This will include a discussion about the types of cooperation we have on military security and counterterrorism issues, as well as the capabilities that we're developing jointly with our partners in the Gulf to deal with a range of current threats and contingencies going forward," Rhodes said.
Earlier, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the absence of the Saudi King from the Camp David summit is unlikely to have any impact on its outcome.
According to The Washington Post, leaders of the GCC countries would press Obama to strengthen US security relations in the region and expand military assurances.
"In the past, we have survived with a gentlemen's agreement with the United States about security," said Yousef al-Otaiba, Ambassador to Washington for the United Arab Emirates, a GCC-member participating in the summit.
"Today, we need something in writing. We need something institutionalised," he told the daily.
The GCC leaders are expected to arrive in Washington DC tomorrow. On Thursday, there will be a range of sessions out at Camp David.
"That will cover the different terrorist threats in the region; the current security picture broadly in the region; some of the specific conflicts in the region, including the situations in Iraq and Syria, the situation in Yemen, and the situation in Libya; as well as Iran -- nuclear negotiations, as well as our efforts to deal with Iran's destabilising actions across the region," Rhodes said.
