Riyadh: The path-breaking summits between Arab leaders and US President Donald Trump could result in strong action against Iran-backed militias and the Islamic State, experts say.
President Trump, on his first foreign trip since taking office in January, will also tell Muslim leaders of his “hopes for a peaceful vision of Islam” as he seeks support for the war against radical Islamists.
Leaders and representatives of 55 countries have been invited by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for the three major joint summits in Riyadh today and tomorrow.
They will be held under the banner “Together we prevail.”
President Trump will hold talks with top Saudi officials and with leaders of the GCC.
The summit is part of a new US strategy to mobilise the Arab world against Islamic State, as well as against Iran-backed militias such as Hizbollah, said Mustafa Alani, a senior adviser to the Gulf Research Centre.
“I think this is going to be important because it’s supposed to translate into action on the ground, financial participation, troop participation and intelligence exchange.”
Alani said the new US administration recognises that Saudi Arabia is a “super-regional state” whose help is required to contain Iran and combat terrorism.
“This summit has a very clear message for the radical Iranian regime that there will be a global consensus and global agreement between the US and the Arab and Muslim world,” said Salman Al Ansari, president of the Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee, a private initiative to strengthen Saudi-US ties.
More than 500 media figures from all over the world will converge in Riyadh for the event.
l Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir will not attend the Arab Islamic-US Summit in Riyadh.
President Al Bashir extended his apology and delegated his office director and presidency minister-delegate General Taha Al Hussein to represent him at the event.