US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had an "open, candid" conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the early hours of Wednesday about a wide range of bilateral issues, a US official said.
The top US diplomat arrived in Saudi Arabia late on Tuesday for a much anticipated visit amid frayed ties due to deepening disagreements on everything from Iran policy to regional security issues, oil prices and human rights.
Blinken and the crown prince met for an hour and 40 minutes, a US official said, covering topics including Israel, the conflict in Yemen, unrest in Sudan as well as human rights.
"There was a good degree of convergence on potential initiatives where we share the same interests, while also recognising where we have differences," the US official said.
A good part of the discussion was expected to be dominated by the possible normalisation of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
"They discussed the potential for normalisation of relations with Israel and agreed to continued dialogue on the issue," the US official said, without providing further details.
The crown prince and Blinken also discussed Yemen and potential ways to resolve remaining issues, while Blinken thanked the crown prince for the kingdom's role in pushing for a ceasefire in Sudan and helping evacuate US citizens.
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