Trump Lands in Saudi Arabia

Local Editor

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

Air Force One had barely taken off when it was announced that James Comey, the former FBI chief fired by Trump, had agreed to testify publicly about Russian interference in the US. elections.

Reports also emerged that Trump had called Comey "a nut job" and that the FBI had identified a senior White House official as a "significant person of interest" in its probe of Russian meddling.
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 9:50 am.

Trump is to hold talks with King Salman and the kingdom's two powerful crown princes later Saturday, before giving a speech on Islam to leaders of Muslim countries Sunday.

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.
The speech will be especially sensitive given tensions sparked by the Trump administration's attempted travel ban targeting several Muslim majority nations and accusations of anti-Islamic rhetoric on the campaign trail.

"I'll speak with Muslim leaders and challenge them to fight hatred and extremism, and embrace a peaceful future for their faith," Trump said ahead of his visit.

After Saudi Arabia, Trump will head to the "Israeli" apartheid entity and the Palestinian Territories where he hopes to revive the moribund peace process.

He then travels to Europe where he will hold face-to-face meetings including with Pope Francis and France's new leader, Emmanuel Macron.

Trump's visit to the Gulf is expected to bring lucrative arms contracts for US firms.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team