US Secretary of State John Kerry will on Monday seek to improve ties with Saudi Arabia during talks with King Abdullah, whose kingdom is frustrated with US policy in the Middle East, dpa reported.
Saudi Arabia wants the United States to pursue a more aggressive police on Syria, and has been irked by Washington's decision to try to solve the nuclear dispute with Iran through diplomacy.
The oil-producing kingdom is supporting the largely Sunni rebels fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose regime is backed by Shiite Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Riyadh was also angered by Washington's decision to suspend military aid to the Egyptian military after it toppled Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.
Kerry, who began his Middle East tour in Cairo, said on Sunday after talks with Egypt's military-backed interim leaders that the United States would stand by it Middle Eastern allies against any external aggression, a subtle reference to Iran.
Kerry's tour includes stops in Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco and Poland.