Obama’s meeting with King Salman comes just days after the death of King Abdullah, who was buried Friday. The White House said the main reason for Obama’s trip is to pay his respects to the Islamic country that has been a key ally.
READ: Why the Iran sanctions fight is a big deal
–
“Human rights is a topic that we raise regularly with Saudi Arabia, so generally that is something that is on our bilateral agenda,” Rhodes said.
“Without knowing exactly what the extent of the meetings and consultations will be and what the precise agenda will be, I can’t speak to individual cases,” he said. “But I think it will certainly be the case that human rights will be on the agenda with Saudi Arabia going forward, and we raise these types of individual case with Saudi Arabia on a regular basis.”
