But even as the U.S. works closely with the Saudis on common strategic goals like counterterrorism, Obama said he and his administration continue to apply “steady, consistent pressure” on issues like human rights. Obama is headed to Saudi Arabia to meet the new King Salman and pay his respects following the death of King Abdullah last week.
“Sometimes we have to balance our need to speak to them about human rights issues with immediate concerns that we have in terms of countering terrorism or dealing with regional stability,” Obama said in an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria in India on Tuesday.
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“But the trendline is one that I will sustain throughout the rest of my presidency and that is to make an argument to those friends and allies of ours that if they want a society that is going to be able to sustain itself in this age, then they’re going to have to change how they do business,” Obama said.
