Obama to Meet With Saudi Arabian King June 29

From the White House:

The President will welcome King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia to the White House on June 29. The President looks forward to discussing with King Abdullah the strengthening of bilateral ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia as well as a range of common concerns related to Gulf Security, peace in the Middle East, and other regional and global matters.

Obama Meets With King Abdullah

Here is the arrival ceremony. 

“The United States and Saudi Arabia have a long history of friendship,” Mr. Obama said, standing alongside King Abdullah, as the two began a series of meetings. “We have a strategic relationship.

He added, “I thought it was very important to come to the place where Islam began and to seek his majesty’s counsel and to discuss with him many of the issues that we confront here in the Middle East.”

Mr. Obama, who flew overnight from Washington, received a royal welcome as he stepped off Air Force One and walked across a red carpet in the grueling afternoon heat. The president and the king exchanged a light embrace and kiss, but Mr. Obama did not bow before the king as he did at their first meeting in London earlier this year, a gesture that drew criticism.

The trip to Saudi Arabia, which comes on the eve of Mr. Obama’s highly anticipated speech to the Muslim world from Cairo, was added to the White House itinerary last week. Administration officials said it would have been diplomatically awkward to be in the region without visiting Saudi Arabia, an important ally.

The king, who placed a gold medallion around Mr. Obama’s neck, smiled as he recalled the visit of another American president to his horse farm outside Riyadh.

“I am not surprised, given the historically strategic ties between our two countries, I believe that go back to the time of the meeting between the late Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the late King Abdul Aziz,” King Abdullah said. “I also want to express my best wishes to the friendly American people who are represented by a distinguished man who deserves to be in this position.”

Mr. Obama replied, “Shoukran,” using the Arabic for “Thank you.” Read more at NYT

Gibbs Press Briefing May 26

Gibbs announces Obama's stopover in Saudi Arabia with King Abdullah June 3 before moving on to Egypt, June 4. See Obama's travel plans here.
Friday, May 29: Obama will release a cyberspace policy review report.

Obama to Visit King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia June 3

Before his trip to Egypt June 4 (read about that here), Obama will stop first in Saudi Arabia.

President Barack Obama is adding a stop in Saudi Arabia next week to his travels through Egypt and Europe, as part of an appeal for renewed Middle East peace talks.

Obama will meet with Saudi's King Abdullah in Riyadh on June 3 to discuss an array of issues, including the pursuit of peace in the Middle East, Iran's nuclear ambitions and the threat of terrorism, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said today. Swamp