Report: Saudi king asks Obama to impose solution

Arab patience is wearing thin in regards to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz told US President Barack Obama during their meeting in Riyadh last Wednesday. According to a report in Saudi daily al-Hayat, the Saudi leader urged Obama to become actively involved in the process, to the point of "imposing a solution" on the two sides "if necessary."

Insider sources told the paper that President Obama could not hide how impressed he was with King Abdullah and that he "listened intently to everything said."

Saudi Arabia and other Arab states are seeking to have Washington take a tougher line with Israel both on accepting Palestinian statehood and freezing construction in the settlements.

Abdullah said that a solution of the conflict would be the "magic key" to all issues in the Middle East.

"We want from you a serious participation to solve the Palestinian issue and impose the solution if necessary," the paper quoted the Saudi monarch as telling Obama.

"We Arabs want to devote our time to building people, building a generation that is capable of handling the future through knowledge and action, we have a genuine desire for peace," Abdullah said.