Riyadh, April 22 (RHC)-- U.S. President Barack Obama has reaffirmed support for Washington’s Arab allies, saying the U.S. will use every element of its power to ensure the security of its interests and partners in the Persian Gulf region. 

In a statement after the annual [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh on Thursday, Obama said that all the six monarchies attending the summit -- Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates -- were committed to the fight against the Daesh (ISIL) Takfiri group and agreed on working towards de-escalating regional conflicts.

Obama admitted, however, that conflicts of opinion do exist between the allies, even as they have all taken part in the ongoing Saudi-led Yemen war that has killed nearly 9,400 people, including 4,000 women and children since it began more than a year ago.