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Partners in progress: King Salman, Obama to continue strategic ties

January 28, 2015

Salman Obama

Riyadh, Jan 28: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and US President Barack Obama pledged to work closely on a range of regional and international issues at a meeting on Tuesday, including terrorism, the Iranian nuclear talks and conflicts in neighboring states.

In their first formal meeting, the talks focused broadly on counter-terrorism and regional stability with special reference to bilateral Saudi-US relations. Obama’s meeting with King Salman comes just days after the death of King Abdullah, who was buried on Friday.

The White House said the main reason for Obama’s trip was to pay his respects to the country that has been a key ally in the region. Obama had arrived with his wife Michelle, accompanied by a delegation of about 30 members. During his four-hour stop in Riyadh, Obama also attended a dinner with Saudi officials at Erga Palace.

A member of the delegation said the trip was an opportunity to “pay respects to the legacy of King Abdullah, who was a close partner of the US, and also discuss some of the issues where we are working together, which include Islamic State, Yemen, the Iranian nuclear negotiations and the broader US-Saudi relationship.”

According to a Royal Court statement, the meeting was significant.

“During the visit, official talks were held between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and President Obama on regional and international issues of common interest in addition to setting out the means to enhance bilateral relations.”

Earlier, Johann Schmonsees, press attache at the US embassy here, said: “We adjusted the president’s schedule in coordination with the Indian government so that he would be able to depart India on Tuesday, to stop in Riyadh during the return trip and meet with King Salman and other Saudi officials, and offer his condolences on behalf of the American people.”

The US delegation was met at the airport by King Salman with a full guard of honor and the playing of the national anthems of the two countries.

King Salman also introduced his senior ministers to Obama, including Crown Prince Muqrin; Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, who is also Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister; and Prince Khaled bin Bandar, chief of general intelligence.

Riyadh Gov. Prince Turki bin Abdullah, Saudi ambassador to the US Adel Al-Jubeir and his counterpart in Riyadh Joseph Westphal were also present at the airport.

According to the US embassy Riyadh, Obama led a delegation of current and former US officials, which include John Kerry, secretary of state; John McCain, senator from the state of Arizona; and Mark Warner, senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The others included Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser and assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs and public engagement; Susan Rice, assistant to the president and national security adviser; Jennifer Palmieri, assistant to the president and director of communications; Lisa Monaco, assistant to the president for homeland security and counter terrorism; and Peter A. Selfridge, United States Chief of Protocol.

The other members included John Brennan, director of the Central Intelligence Agency; General Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of US Central Command; James Baker, former secretary of state; Condoleezza Rice, former secretary of state; Brent Scowcroft, former national security adviser; and several other foreign policy leaders from past administrations. Vice President Joe Biden had remained in Washington.

Baker is revered in the Arab Gulf region, particularly Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, for his role in orchestrating the alliance against Saddam Hussein in 1990 and 1991.

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Agencies
August 4,2020

Beirut, Aug 4: A massive explosion has shaken the Lebanese capital of Beirut, with a very high number of casualties expected.

A warehouse at the Beirut Port caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, triggering a huge explosion, Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Several smaller explosions were heard before the bigger one occurred.

Abbas Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon’s General Security, said that “highly explosive materials” confiscated earlier had been stored at the site.

Footage shared on social media captured the moment of the bigger explosion, with a colossal shock wave seen traveling fast across several hundreds of meters and shrouding the area in thick smoke.

The blast left enormous material damage to the surrounding buildings and structures. But it was not immediately known how big an area was affected.

There was also no immediate casualty count. Graphic amateur video from the scene showed bodies strewn on the ground, with their clothes blown off.

The NNA said rescue operations were underway. Ambulances were seen heading toward the scene in central Beirut.

Lebanese LBC television channel quoted Lebanon’s Health Minister Hamad Hasan as saying that the blast had caused a “very high number of injuries” and “extensive damage.”

Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud said an unspecified number of firefighters dispatched to extinguish the initial fire had been killed in the explosion.

“As they were putting out the fire, the explosion took place and we’ve [lost them],” he said, breaking down on live TV.

The explosion comes at a time when the Arab country is passing through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades, and amid rising tensions with Israel.

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News Network
March 25,2020

Riyadh, Mar 25: A 46-year-old man died of coronavirus in Saudi Arabia, becoming the Kingdom’s second death, according to a health ministry’s spokesman.

The health ministry recorded 133 new infections, bringing the total to 900.

Of those newly confirmed cases, 18 are associated with recent travel, and were placed in quarantine upon their arrival in the Kingdom, the spokesman said.

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Agencies
July 14,2020

Dubai, Jul 14: The UAE-based parents of children under 12 stranded in India are in a tight spot with multiple airlines refusing to accept unaccompanied minors.

Starting July 12, Indians wanting to return to the UAE have been given a 15-day window to travel back on the condition that they have valid residency permits. They also have to produce a negative Covid-19 test result.

But parents of minors said they are feeling helpless as children are unable to avail of the travel opportunity despite having return permits.

"It has been more than three months since my daughter has been stuck in India. We have GDRFA approval for her but the airlines are not accepting her booking, saying she is under 12," Poonam Sapre, a Dubai-based mother, told Khaleej Times.

Her daughter Eva Sapre, 10, is in Hyderabad and is awaiting a reunion with her parents.

"She is just 10 and it has already taken an emotional toll on her. She is eager to come back and is asking me every day about her return. This is so frustrating."

Barring Emirates and Etihad, other airlines including flydubai, Air Arabia and Air India Express are not accepting unaccompanied minors. With India extending the travel freeze till July 31, normal flights are yet to resume and only special flights are allowed between India and UAE under a bilateral agreement.

Sapre said only flydubai is flying the Hyderabad-Dubai route, and the carrier has restrictions on minors travelling alone. "My daughter is too young to fly through indirect routes," claims the mother.

When Khaleej Times reached out to the airlines for comment, they confirmed that such rules on unaccompanied minors were already in place even before Covid-19 travel restrictions came into effect.

Another Dubai-based distressed parent, who did not want to be named, said her eight-year-old son is in Kerala and is unable to fly due to airline policies on unaccompanied minors.

"I called up Air India Express and they said this has been their rule even before the Covid-19 outbreak. I am appealing to them to re-consider and make an exception during these trying times so that our children can come home safely," she said.

Faced with this eventuality, some parents are forced to fly out of the UAE so they can accompany their children on the flight back home.

An Indian mother, who is currently in Mumbai, said she flew out of Dubai on Monday morning solely for the purpose of bringing back her twin daughters, aged 10.

"I had no choice. Ideally, they could have travelled together, but under these circumstances I thought it best to get them with me personally," said the mother.

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