Obama pays respects to Saudi Arabia, defends ties to Kingdom

President Obama was present in Saudi Arabia to pay respects to the Kingdom, after the death of King Abdullah.  Washington dignitaries and the President were accompanied by Michelle Obama, to underscore the problems the U.S. has often had with women's rights in the ultraconservative Middle Eastern country.  Obama felt that it was necessary to show a presence of solidarity with the nation that has supported the U.S. in many security and economic issues in the past.

Saudi Arabia's new monarch, King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, greeted Obama at the steps of Air Force One after it landed in Riyadh.  The two men had met previously, but Tuesday's meetings marked their most substantive discussions.

A senior administration official said Obama raised the issue of human rights broadly in his discussions with the new monarch, but did not tackle specific matters, including the case of a Saudi blogger who was convicted of insulting Islam and sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes.    

ABCNews.com story