WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing for a visit to the United States by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman next month, in what could be the first state visit to the U.S. by a foreign leader in Trump’s second term, according to several people familiar with the planning.
Work is underway to prepare a package of agreements that Trump and the crown prince could sign or witness during the visit, U.S. officials familiar with the plans for the trip said. The trip is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 17-19, but the timing and status of the visit could change, according to two people familiar with the planning.
Those people and the officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the trip before it has been announced. The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment, and the Saudi Embassy declined to comment.
Details of the agreements to be signed were not immediately clear, but many are expected to be commercial and trade deals under the framework of a Strategic Economic Partnership that Trump signed with the crown prince during the Republican president’s visit to Saudi Arabia in May.
A bilateral security deal, long sought by the Saudis, is also under discussion, according to the officials. Trump signed an executive order last month offering Saudi Arabia’s fellow Gulf state neighbor Qatar security assurances in the wake of Israel’s attack on Hamas leadership in Doha.
Bloomberg first reported the expected visit.
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Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
