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 Obama, who arrived on Wednesday, hopes to allay Gulf countries'
fears over Iranian influence and encourage them to douse sectarian
tensions in an effort to confront the threat posed by jihadist
militants like Islamic State.
Those issues were addressed in his bilateral talks on Wednesday with
leaders from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and will
dominate again in the summit which includes the other Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) members.
Years of frustration among Gulf countries, aggravated by more recent
stumbles, may make Saudi Arabia and its regional allies less
receptive to Obama on his fourth and most probably final trip to the
kingdom.
The Middle East is mired in a contest for influence between a bloc
of mostly Sunni countries, including the conservative, pro-Western
Gulf monarchies, and revolutionary Shi'ite Iran and its allies.
 Most of the GCC states, which also include Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain
and Oman, have been bitterly disappointed in Obama's presidency,
during which they believe the United States has pulled back from the
region, giving more space to Iran.
They were also upset by Obama's remarks in a magazine interview that
appeared to cast them as "free-riders" in U.S. security efforts and
urged them to "share" the region with Tehran.
For his part, the American president has said he wants Gulf allies
to offer more democratic reforms and improve human rights, which he
discussed with Saudi King Salman on Wednesday.
Adding to tensions is a bill proposed in U.S. Congress to lift
Riyadh's immunity if any Saudi officials are found to have been
involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
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UNDERLYING STRENGTH
The United States remains deeply enmeshed in Gulf security, however,
cooperating closely with the monarchies to strengthen their armed
forces and share intelligence aimed at countering Islamist militant
groups.
That underlying strong relationship was underscored in a cartoon
published on Thursday in the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, owned
by King Salman's branch of the Al Saud ruling family.
It showed a Shi'ite cleric in black turban and robes sweating with
alarm as he read a newspaper headlined "Obama in Riyadh". All the
Saudi newspapers published several pages of photographs of Obama's
meetings with Salman and other princes.
Obama and the Gulf leaders joined for a photograph at the Diriyah
Palace on the outskirts of Riyadh before starting the talks. The
American president is expected to make a statement afterwards,
before departing for London.
The region's crises, including civil wars in Syria, Yemen and Iraq
in which the U.S. and Gulf states have cooperated but still disagree
on some issues, will be important areas of discussion.
(Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by William Maclean and Sonya
Hepinstall)
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