Saudi King Salman will visit the United States next month for the first time since acceding the throne and following a rift over America’s rapprochement with Iran, a diplomat says.
The monarch, who pulled out of a Gulf leaders’ summit with US President Barack Obama in May at the last minute, will travel to Washington on September 4, the Saudi diplomat says.
He will also attend a US-Saudi forum in Washington to be held on September 4-6, the source says, requesting anonymity.
The forum would focus on “energy, health, petrochemicals as well as financial services,” among other issues, says the diplomat.
In this Jan. 24, 2015 file photo, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman attends a ceremony at the Diwan royal palace in Riyadh. (AP Photo/Yoan Valat, Pool)
Washington has sought to allay the concerns of its traditional allies over a historic deal it and other world powers reached with Tehran over the Islamic Republic’s suspect nuclear program.
Since late last year, OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia has also been part of a US-led coalition bombing the Islamic State group which has occupied parts of Iraq and Syria.
US aerial refueling, intelligence and other assistance have also supported a Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.
— AFP
Your next read: ToI Editors' Picks
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Join The Times of Israel Community today and you'll receive a physical book of your choice, carefully curated by our editors.
Choose between two must-reads: When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief and strength following unthinkable tragedy;
Or Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, the gripping and surprising tale of a forgotten moment during World War II.
As a Community member, you’ll also enjoy our DocuNation series of outstanding Israeli documentary films, an ad-free experience of our site and podcasts, commenting privileges, and more.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
