There was much to talk about when President Barack Obama hosted Morocco’s King Mohammed VI at the White House on last week. They two talked about furthering democracy in the Middle East and countering violent extremism.

When the king arrived at the White House, he was greeted by a military honor guard that lined the driveway to the West Wing. Obama and King Mohammed made no public remarks before photographers were ushered out of the Oval Office.

Prior to the meeting, the White House said Obama planned to discuss U.S. support for democratic and economic reforms in Morocco and efforts to promote reform in the Middle East and Africa, reports Yahoo! News.  According to the White House, cooperation on countering violent extremism was also on the agenda as fighting terrorism in North Africa is a major U.S. national security priority.

“Another likely topic was the monarchy’s nasty spat with regional rival Algeria over a disputed region of Western Sahara, which attracted a small group of protesters outside the White House,” reports Yahoo! News.

“The U.S. has made clear that Morocco’s autonomy plan is serious, realistic and credible and that it represents a potential approach that could satisfy the aspirations of the people in the Western Sahara to run their own affairs in peace and dignity,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.