Obama will head to Saudi Arabia, trim time in India
President Obama is cutting short his trip to India in order to make a short trip to Saudi Arabia to pay respects to the family of the late king.
The president, who was leaving Saturday for India, will travel to Riyadh on Tuesday to meet with King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who has succeeded the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. Obama will also meet with other members of the Saudi royal family.
Vice President Joe Biden was originally scheduled to lead a delegation to Saudi Arabia to observe the mourning period on behalf of the administration. But the night before Obama was set to leave for New Delhi, the White House began working to change the schedule.
They notified the Indian government that they’d skip an independent tourist stop at the Taj Mahal. That stop was scheduled to come after the conclusion of his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all ceremonial observances of the India trip.
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