Trump starts foreign tour in Saudi Arabia

Riyadh: US President Donald Trump launched an eight-day foreign tour in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, taking his first steps on the world stage as scandals mount at home.

Trump can expect a warm welcome in the oil-rich kingdom where he is to hold talks with Saudi King Salman and other senior royals — a mood in sharp contrast to Washington where pressure is building after fresh claims over his team’s alleged links to Moscow.

A red carpet was rolled out and staircase rolled up to Air Force One after it landed at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh shortly before 10:00 am local time.

Trump and his wife Melania, who dressed conservatively in black but did not cover her hair, walked side-by-side to the tarmac where they both shook hands with King Salman.

Trump’s daughter and presidential adviser Ivanka Trump and Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner exited from the rear of the plane, holding hands as they walked across the tarmac. The 81-year-old king, walking with a cane, led the president and first lady into an airport reception room, where they chatted over coffee.

Trump is to hold formal talks with the Saudi leader and the kingdom’s two powerful crown princes later on Saturday, before giving a speech on Islam to leaders of Muslim countries on Sunday. For Riyadh the visit is an opportunity to rebuild ties with a key ally, strained under Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama who Sunni Arab Gulf states suspected of a tilt towards their Shiite regional rival Iran.

Sunday’s speech to dozens of Muslim leaders has been touted as a major event — along the lines of a landmark address to the Islamic world given by Obama in Cairo in 2009. Trump wants Gulf states in particular to do more to tackle extremists such as the Islamic State jihadist group. Before departing, the president tweeted he would be “strongly protecting American interests” on his marathon trip.

While most US presidents make their first foreign trip to neighbouring Canada or Mexico, 70-year-old Trump has opted instead for the Middle East and Europe. He travels to Israel and the Palestinian Territories on Monday and Tuesday, and then to the Vatican and to Brussels and Italy for NATO and G7 meetings.

The expected announcement of an arms deal worth more than $100 billion — potentially one of the biggest in US history — would also be good news for both Trump and the Saudis. The next leg in Israel and the Palestinians Territories could be more complicated, despite the history of warm ties between Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  After meeting Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Trump will see Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Bethlehem.

On Tuesday Trump heads to Rome to meet with Pope Francis. The two men are at odds on everything from climate change to refugee policy, although the pontiff says he will give America’s bullish leader an open-minded hearing. The president will then meet members of NATO in Brussels and attend a G7 summit  These meetings — including with new French President Emmanuel Macron will be closely watched for signs of whether Trump and traditional US allies in Europe can work together. (AFP)