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Middle East Briefing #20

Obama Meeting With King Abdullah Deepened Tensions

The long-anticipated meeting between President Obama and King Abdullah was contentious, according to MEB sources contacted just hours after the visit.  While no definitive answer was given during the course of the meeting, the Obama Administration had decided, in advance of the summit, to reject requests for more advanced weapons, including manpads, to be delivered to select Syrian rebel groups.  The decision was based on a CIA review of the ability of ISIL and the Al Nusra Front to obtain weapons that were in some cases destined for more secular and moderate rebel fighting forces, and on the growing role of Pakistan in providing arms to all rebel factions, in conjunction with Saudi Arabia.