President is invited to Trump talks in Riyadh

US leader’s first overseas trip aimed at cementing ties

ABU DHABI // The President, Sheikh Khalifa, has been invited by King Salman of Saudi Arabia to talks in Riyadh this month with the US president Donald Trump.

Sheikh Khalifa was invited to both the US-GCC talks and the summit a day later, on May 21, between Mr Trump and leaders of more than a dozen Muslim-majority countries who are a part of a Saudi- led military alliance. Mr Trump’s meetings in Riyadh will be the first stop on his first foreign trip as president. Afterwards he will visit Israel and the Vatican.

The visit underlines the White House’s strategy of repairing ties with the leaders of Gulf countries and other traditional Arab allies to enlist greater cooperation in achieving its key objectives in the Middle East.

These are defeating ISIL, containing Iran’s growing influence in the region and brokering another round of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Gulf leaders have relished working with an administration from their most important international security partner that more closely shares their views on the threat posed by Tehran.

In large measure, the US president’s meetings with Gulf and Muslim leaders this month is about improving the image of a new administration whose election campaign was filled with what many saw as Islamophobic rhetoric, and which began its tenure by announcing a ban on Muslim refugees and visas for citizens from a handful of Muslim-majority countries.

The trip to the country that is custodian of the heart of the Islamic faith, Mecca and Medina, is an attempt to change perceptions and show that the US will work closely with crucial partners against ISIL and on counter-terrorism more broadly.

Mr Trump’s visit “is a clear message to the world that the US and the Arab and Islamic countries can form a partnership”, said Saudi foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir.

“We believe that it will strengthen cooperation between the U S and Arab and Islamic countries against terrorism and extremism.”

Along with GCC rulers, the heads of state of Pakistan, Jordan, Algeria, Yemen, Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia and Iraq have also been invited to the summit, which will follow bilateral and the GCC-US talks.

The UAE is the Gulf country closest to the US military, with which it conducts operations against Al Qaeda’s Yemeni affiliate and Al Shabab in Somalia. It also works with the US on countering extremism strategies at the joint Sawab Centre in Abu Dhabi.