Mideast/US

Obama arrives in Middle East

Article published on the 2009-06-03 Latest update 2009-06-03 16:05 TU

US President Barack Obama departing for Saudi Arabia, 2 June, 2009.
(Photo: Reuters)

US President Barack Obama landed Wednesday afternoon in Saudi Arabia, the first stop on a tour that is also scheduled to take him to Egypt to deliver a major address on US-Muslim relations.

Air Force One, the US president's plane, touched down in Riyadh on Wednesday afternoon. He descended a red carpet to meet King Abdullah.

Not less than an hour later, the audio recording of a man purported to be Bin Laden was played on al-Jazeera. It slammed Washington Middle East policy and said Obama was following the lead of former US President George W. Bush and antagonising Muslims.

After a reception, Obama was to go with the monarch to his farm to discuss, among other topics, the Israel-Palestinian peace process, oil prices, and whether Saudi Arabia will accept Yemeni prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

On Thursday, Obama is scheduled to give a speech at Cairo University. It fulfils a campaign promise that he would speak directly to the Muslim world.

On Friday, his office says, he will travel to Germany to visit a former concentration camp and meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

And on Saturday, he is scheduled to participate in World War Two, D-Day remembrance ceremonies in Normandy, France.