ABU DHABI // Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed met Donald Trump for talks in Washington on Monday, as the White House announced a defence cooperation agreement between the two countries.
Mr Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer, said the agreement, which was concluded “recently”, would allow the UAE and United States “to work more closely together to address common security threats”.
“The [US] president hopes to work together even more closely to resolve regional conflicts that [have] raged across the region for too long,” he added. Sheikh Mohammed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is “ a strong partner of the United States and a leader in the Middle East on a number of important topics including defence cooperation, regional security and counterterrorism”.
Sitting alongside one another in the Oval Office, Mr Trump called Sheikh Mohammed a “very special person” who loves his country and loves the US. The two leaders were set to discuss bilateral cooperation, including on counterterrorism and efforts to contain Iran’s regional ambitions, as well as bilateral trade and investment.
The talks came ahead of the US president’s trip to Riyadh this weekend, where Mr Trump will meet Saudi leaders, GCC officials and heads of state from many Muslim-majority countries allied with Riyadh.
Sheikh Mohammed, was to meet the US secretary of defence later on Monday, and the secretary of state and senior members of congress on Tuesday. But a key goal of his time in Washington will be to help Mr Trump prepare for his visit to Saudi Arabia, the first stop on his first trip overseas since taking office.
The UAE views Mr Trump’s support for the Saudi deputy crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman and the economic reform plan that he is spearheading as crucial to its success, according to observers.
Mr Trump, increasingly embattled at home, is looking to make headway on some of the key foreign policy objectives of his administration, including a bid to broker peace between the Palestinians and Israel and working with Washington’s traditional partners in the Middle East to roll back Iran’s growing clout in the region.
His meeting with leaders from more 50 Middle Eastern, African and Asian Muslim countries in Riyadh is also intended to send a signal to audiences abroad and in the US that he has moved away from his campaign rhetoric about Muslims.
Mr Trump’s trip to Riyadh is aimed at “helping build bridges and understanding between the president and a group he had some challenges with”, said a Gulf source with knowledge of official preparations for the trip.
Sheikh Mohammed and Mr Trump were also expected to discuss the UAE’s counter-extremism efforts and policies promoting religious tolerance, including through joint initiatives that were established during former US president Barack Obama’s tenure such as the Sawab Centre in Abu Dhabi.
The wars in Yemen, Syria and Libya are also expected to be raised during the Crown Prince’s two days in the US capital. He is expected to brief members of congress on the UAE’s counterterrorism efforts in Yemen, its unilateral humanitarian efforts in the country and through the United Nations, and the Emirates’ intensified role in political negotiations to bring an end to the increasingly complex conflict.
Preparations are also under way in Washington and Riyadh to conclude investment and defence deals to cement their rekindled ties.
An arms deal with Riyadh, which includes systems that the Obama administration refused to sell to the kingdom because of differences over its campaign in Yemen, is being prepared by the Trump administration. US officials reportedly hope that deal, worth a reported US$300 billion (Dh1.1 trillion) over the next decade, will be ready to announce before Mr Trump’s departure for Riyadh or during his visit.
Washington also announced last week that it had approved a $2bn sale of missiles to the UAE for its Patriot defence systems. There will be up to a 90-day review process in the US congress, whose approval is also required. Because they are defensive systems, they are not expected to face any resistance, according to a source familiar with the discussions in congress.
Saudi officials hope to finalise a plan that Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly presented to Mr Trump during their White House meeting in March that would see the kingdom use a new investment fund to invest $200 billion in the US. The Wall Street Journal reported that Mr Trump asked for the bulk of the investments in infrastructure and industry to be made in the poorer Midwestern states that swung the election in his favour.
The deputy crown prince also offered US companies a preferential role in the Vision 2030 economic diversification strategy that relies on greater foreign investment in non-energy sectors of the Saudi economy.
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, Prince Mohammed said Mr Trump’s visit and meetings with Gulf and Muslim leaders “will establish a new partnership in confronting extremism and terrorism”.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
* Additional reporting by Associated Press
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
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SRI LANKA SQUAD
Upul Tharanga (captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella
Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana
Chamara Kapugedara, Thisara Perera, Seekuge Prasanna
Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera
Vishwa Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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Specs
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
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