Riyadh, 3 June.
President Obama landed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, today for the start of a trip planned for months as part of a bid to improve the tattered U.S. relationship with the Muslim world.
American flags are hanging next to the green banner of the Saudi kingdom on the street-light poles of this desert capital, a celebratory nod to the arrival of President Obama. He landed here to begin a five-day tour through the Middle East and Europe.
At a tarmac welcoming ceremony, Obama was greeted by the 84-year-old Saudi leader. The two strode down a red carpet lined by ranks of Saudi soldiers, U.S. and Saudi flags flying taut in a brisk, dry wind. A military band then played the Star-Spangled Banner.
The leaders were then scheduled to travel to King Abdullah's farm at Jenadriyah, not far from Riyadh. The king hosted a dinner there last year for then-President Bush featuring an Arabian horse show and a falconry exhibition.
Shortly after Obama landed in the Saudi capital, the television network Al-Jazeera aired a new audiotape, reportedly from al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, saying Obama was planting seeds for "revenge and hatred" towards the United States in the Muslim world, wire services reported. The taped message said Obama was following former President George W. Bush's policy of "antagonizing Muslims," and warned told Americans to be prepared for the "consequences" of the White House's policies.
The centerpiece of the president's trip will be a speech Thursday in Cairo, billed as an address to the Muslim world, in which advisors say Obama will transmit a message based on shared roots, common experience and mutual respect.
At this first stop, the president was to hold private talks with King Abdullah on Mideast peace negotiations, regional security and energy issues.The president will deliver his long-promised address to the Muslim world from the campus of Cairo University in Egypt on Thursday.
President Obama landed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, today for the start of a trip planned for months as part of a bid to improve the tattered U.S. relationship with the Muslim world.
American flags are hanging next to the green banner of the Saudi kingdom on the street-light poles of this desert capital, a celebratory nod to the arrival of President Obama. He landed here to begin a five-day tour through the Middle East and Europe.
At a tarmac welcoming ceremony, Obama was greeted by the 84-year-old Saudi leader. The two strode down a red carpet lined by ranks of Saudi soldiers, U.S. and Saudi flags flying taut in a brisk, dry wind. A military band then played the Star-Spangled Banner.
The leaders were then scheduled to travel to King Abdullah's farm at Jenadriyah, not far from Riyadh. The king hosted a dinner there last year for then-President Bush featuring an Arabian horse show and a falconry exhibition.
Shortly after Obama landed in the Saudi capital, the television network Al-Jazeera aired a new audiotape, reportedly from al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, saying Obama was planting seeds for "revenge and hatred" towards the United States in the Muslim world, wire services reported. The taped message said Obama was following former President George W. Bush's policy of "antagonizing Muslims," and warned told Americans to be prepared for the "consequences" of the White House's policies.
The centerpiece of the president's trip will be a speech Thursday in Cairo, billed as an address to the Muslim world, in which advisors say Obama will transmit a message based on shared roots, common experience and mutual respect.
At this first stop, the president was to hold private talks with King Abdullah on Mideast peace negotiations, regional security and energy issues.The president will deliver his long-promised address to the Muslim world from the campus of Cairo University in Egypt on Thursday.
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