Saudi top diplomat in US to prepare for Trump visit / Photo: Brendan SMIALOWSKI - AFP
-
Injured Australian swim star O'Callaghan pulls out of PanPacs
-
Veteran Wallabies playmaker Quade Cooper eyes World Cup comeback
-
California lifeguards wiped out from extreme weather
-
FIFA scraps private investment plan after backlash
-
FIFA scraps private investment plan after backlash: Infantino
-
US plans steep water cuts for southwest amid Colorado River crisis
-
South Africa's WAFCON hopes hang in the balance after dramatic draw
-
Nakashima ousts top seed de Minaur, Osaka advances at Washington
-
Hunter Bell cruises to Commonwealth gold, Pathirage stuns javelin stars
-
Nakashima ousts top seed de Minaur and Osaka advances at Washington
-
Amazon surges as US stocks shrug off bond yield worries
-
Nakashima ousts defending champion de Minaur to reach Washington semis
-
Google rolls back new satellite image AI tool after backlash
-
Magaia salvages last-gasp WAFCON draw for South Africa
-
Ryu leads in bid for third straight major at women's British Open
-
Forever chemicals and pesticides under Trump: what to know
-
Fire-hit France region 'coming up for air' as main blaze calms
-
US announces steep water cuts for three states amid Colorado River crisis
-
Wembanyama to get signature shoe in Nike contract extension: reports
-
EU grapples with migrant crisis in Spain's N. Africa enclave
-
Oil giants report blowout profits on war, warn high gas prices could persist
-
Hungary to shut nuclear plant as heatwave hits central Europe
-
Google launches new satellite image AI tool, alarming researchers
-
Strengthening El Nino 'adding fuel to a planet already on fire': UN chief
-
Eddie Howe resigns as Newcastle boss to 'recharge'
-
Tech-fuelled rally fizzles as oil prices rise
-
High winds hamper firefighting efforts in western Turkey
-
Chelsea's Mudryk cleared to play after doping ban appeal
-
Howe resigns as Newcastle boss
-
A side of oysters for France's flat-out firefighters
-
Full-scale tour will benefit All Blacks, says coach Rennie
-
England cricket chief Key refuses to rule out Stokes return
-
US Fed dissenters call for rate hikes over sustained inflation
-
New blazes in Greece as strong winds hamper firefighting
-
Trump and far-right seize on Spanish migration crisis
-
Springboks star Feinberg-Mngomezulu back for Argentina Test
-
Hamas agrees to disarm under Trump plan
-
Shops closed, businesses quiet as Spain's Ceuta faces migrant surge
-
French, Italian winegrowers face earliest ever harvest
-
Chelsea fined £10mn, handed suspended transfer ban for breaching agent rules
-
Alarm over climate-linked low level of German waterways
-
Residents defend Spain’s ancient 'El Abuelo' tree from flames
-
UK court rejects challenge against new Chinese embassy in London
-
Forever chemicals and pesticides: what to know
-
New York sues online prediction markets giant Kalshi
-
Spaniard Santi Denia takes over as Czech Republic coach
-
Commerzbank agrees to talks with UniCredit after two-year standoff
-
EU races to contain new migrant crisis as thousands cross into Spain's N. Africa enclave
-
A rumour, a rush: chaos at Morocco border with Spain's Ceuta
-
Profits surge at US oil giant amid Iran war supply shock
Saudi top diplomat in US to prepare for Trump visit
Saudi Arabia's top diplomat held talks in Washington on Wednesday as he lays the groundwork for a visit by US President Donald Trump, which would be the first foreign trip of his second term.
Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met at the State Department with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with the two not making any remarks.
Last month, Trump said he may visit Saudi Arabia as early as April in a reprisal of 2017, when the oil-rich, conservative kingdom was the first destination of his first term in office.
The foreign minister's visit is aimed to "prepare for Trump's visit to Riyadh," a source close to the Saudi government said.
The source, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said "developments in Gaza, Yemen and Syria" were also on Prince Faisal's agenda.
In January, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, promised to pile $600 billion into US trade and investments.
Trump later said Saudi Arabia had agreed to "spend close to a trillion dollars... in our American companies, which to me means jobs".
Trump forged close relations with Riyadh in his first term and is expected to push Saudi Arabia, home of Islam's holiest sites, towards normalizing ties with Israel as a major foreign policy objective.
Trump in his first term also boasted of having protected Crown Prince Mohammed from greater repercussions over the killing of Saudi dissident writer and US resident Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
E.Rodriguez--AT