Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense at Al-Salam Palace here today U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and the accompanying delegation. At the outset of the audience, the Crown Prince welcomed U.S. Secretary of Defense, valuing his visit to the Kingdom. For his part, the U.S. Secretary of Defense conveyed the greetings of U.S. President Barack Obama and his apology for not attending. Panetta also conveyed condolences of the U.S. President, government and people on the death of Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, emphasizing the depth of bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America. During the audience, they reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and the latest developments on the regional and international arenas. The audience was attended by Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Makkah Region; Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior; Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, President of the Crown Prince's Court and his Special Advisor; Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Assistant Interior Minister for Security Affairs, and Dr. Musaed Al-Aiban, Minister of State and Cabinet's Member. It was also attended by U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom James P. Smith and a number of senior officials from the American side.
