Obama cuts short India visit to meet new Saudi king

NEW DELHI: US President Barack Obama has cut short his visit to India, cancelling a planned trip to the Taj Mahal, to “pay respects” to new King Salman in Saudi Arabia, the White House said Saturday.
Obama was scheduled to go to India’s famed monument to love accompanied by First Lady Michelle Obama at the end of a three-day visit to the country, during which he is to be chief guest at Monday´s Republic Day celebrations.
Instead, the White House said Obama would travel to Riyadh from New Delhi on Tuesday morning to meet the new monarch after the death of Salman’s half-brother King Abdullah on Friday. “The president regrets that he will be unable to visit Agra during this trip,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest in a statement, referring to the town where the Taj Mahal is located.
Abdullah, a cautious reformer who led the Gulf state through a turbulent decade in a region shaken by the Arab Spring uprisings and Islamic extremism, died aged about 90. Saudi Arabia and the United States remained staunch allies during his nearly decade-long reign, which spanned the Arab Spring and multiple wars that roiled the Middle East.
Vice-President Joe Biden had been due to represent the United States in Riyadh, where dignitaries and leaders from around the world were arriving in Saudi Arabia Saturday to offer their condolences. The White House said Biden would now remain in Washington.
Obama will hold talks with Narendra Modi during his visit to New Delhi, which comes just months after the Indian Prime Minister made a high-profile official visit to the United States.