Thread: Trump in Saudi Arabia: Key deals expected to be signed

Trump in Saudi Arabia: Key deals expected to be signed

28 minutes ago
May 20, 2017

Multi-billion dollar deals between the US and Saudi Arabia will be signed on Saturday as US President Donald Trump's first foreign trip begins in Riyadh.

Mr Trump and his wife Melania were greeted in the Saudi capital by King Salman on Saturday morning local time.

The eight-day trip will also take in Israel, the Palestinian territories, Brussels, the Vatican, and Sicily.

Saturday's deals on arms and with energy giant Aramco are expected to be worth at least $150bn (£115bn).

The visit comes as Mr Trump faces uproar at home following his sacking of FBI director James Comey.

On Sunday, Mr Trump will attend the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh and speak about his "hopes of a peaceful vision of Islam". Aides say the president hopes his speech will resonate worldwide and express "a common vision of peace, progress and prosperity".

Mr Trump caused controversy during his campaign by calling for Muslims to be temporarily banned from entering the US over security concerns. Legislation aimed at restricting travel from several Muslim-majority countries remains tied up in the US courts.

The summit agenda is expected to focus on combating Islamist militants and the growing regional influence of Iran.

Mr Trump has been a fierce critic of the international deal with Iran which eased sanctions in return for a curb on its nuclear activities.

Unlike his predecessor, Barack Obama, he is not expected to highlight human rights during his trip.

On Saturday morning, Amin Nasser, the chief executive of Saudi oil giant Aramco, said $50bn (£38bn) of deals would be signed with 11 US companies. The deal is part of a wider drive to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil.

Separately, US media say Saudi Arabia will commit to buying about $100bn of US-made arms.

Saudi Arabia has been fighting Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen since March 2015. The United Nations says about 10,000 people have been killed since the fighting began, with Yemen on the verge of famine.

"We want you to be a superpower" is how a senior Saudi prince recently described to me the kingdom's message to the United States. From day one, Saudi rulers hailed the arrival of President Trump, and what they believe will be greater US engagement in this region.

There's much talk of "turning the page" on what they saw as President Obama's infuriating retreat in Syria, and his focus on a nuclear deal with Riyadh's main rival, Iran.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister: Donald Trump's visit is a 'coup for peace and coexistence'

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir admitted to me it was "a diplomatic coup" to claim the first stop on the US president's first foreign visit. Other historic first steps may be taken here too.

Another senior official in the region disclosed that Arab states are now discussing moves to start "normalising" relations with their old arch-enemy Israel.

This Riyadh summit will focus on new alliances to confront extremist groups. And the Saudis' overriding goal is to convince the US and others to exert far greater pressure on what they see as the greatest threat, from Tehran.

Like British Prime Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on their recent visits to Saudi Arabia, Mrs Trump and daughter-in-law Ivanka did not wear headscarves.

In January 2015, Mr Trump criticised then-First Lady Michelle Obama for doing the same. In a tweet, Mr Trump said she had "insulted" her hosts.

The agenda for the rest of Mr Trump's trip

Monday-Tuesday, 22-23 May: Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, before visiting the West Bank on Tuesday
Wednesday 24 May: Rome and Brussels. Mr Trump will meet Pope Francis, then Belgian officials
Thursday, 25 May: A Nato summit in Brussels
Friday, 26 May: Sicily, for a meeting of G7 members

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39984903

Wow. A lot happening and getting done on this trip with the Muslim Nations, Arab States and Israel.

US-Saudi Arabia seal weapons deal worth nearly $110 billion immediately, $350 billion over 10 years

Javier E. David
42 Mins Ago CNBC.com
May 20, 2017

The United States has sealed an arms deal to Saudi Arabia, the White House announced on Saturday, a move that solidifies its decades-long alliance with the world's largest energy producer just as President Donald Trump begins his maiden trip abroad as leader of the free world.

The agreement, which is worth $350 billion over 10 years and $110 billion that will take effect immediately, was hailed by the White House as "a significant expansion of…[the] security relationship" between the two countries.

Simultaneously, Saudi Arabia is in a broad-based push for economic reform, and as part of that effort signed a flurry of deals with private U.S. companies worth tens of billions of dollars.

Lockheed Martin, one of the world's largest defense contractors whose technology was part of the U.S-Saudi accord, said in a statement that the deal "will directly contribute to [Saudi Arabia's] Vision 2030 by opening the door for thousands of highly skilled jobs in new economic sectors."

The arms package represents an enhancement of Saudi Arabia's military capabilities as tensions flare in the region, with the U.S. viewing the Saudis as a linchpin in efforts to check the global ambitions of Iran. The country, the hub of Islam's most revered sites, but is also a target of radical Islamic extremism.

"This package of defense equipment and services support the long-term security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region in the face of Iranian threats, while also bolstering the Kingdom's ability to contribute to counter terrorism operations across the region, reducing the burden on the U.S. military to conduct those operations," the White House said in a statement.

For the Saudis, Trump's visit represents a diplomatic and public relations coup for Mohammed bin Salman, the Kingdom's 31-year old deputy crown prince. The U.S.-Saudi partnership has been fraught with controversy since the Sept. 11 attacks, which culminated last year in a Congressional vote to allow 9/11 families to sue the country for its suspected links to the attackers.

Saudi Arabia is the primary destination for U.S. arms sales, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, with the Kingdom purchasing nearly 10 percent of U.S. exports from 2011 to 2015.

The pomp and circumstance of the Saudi visit also gives Trump — who sold himself to voters as an inveterate deal maker —a victory to merchandise abroad, just as his political pressures have intensified at home. Over the course of the last week, the White House has been overwhelmed by news stemming from an inquiry into the Trump campaign's alleged links to Russia, and the abrupt dismissal of former FBI Director James Comey.

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/20/us-sa...ins-visit.html