Obama Starts Mideast Trip In Saudi Arabia
After traveling all night, President Obama arrives in Saudi Arabia Wednesday on the first part of his trip to the Middle East and Europe.
The president is scheduled to arrive in Riyadh in the afternoon (about 7:25 a.m. Eastern), where he will attend a reception given by King Abdullah.
Mr. Obama will then meet with the king at his farm. Concerns about U.S. outreach to Iran, the Israel-Palestinian peace process and the kingdom's willingness to accept Yemeni prisoners from Guantanamo will all likely be on the agenda.
The two men met in April at the G-20 summit in London, reports CBS News White House correspondent Chip Reid, and Mr. Obama says he and the King already have a good relationship.
Reid, reporting from the Saudi capital, says that friendship could come in handy, as Mr. Obama says he intends to tell the head of the oil-rich nation that the U.S. needs to begin weaning itself off the black gold in an effort to combat global warming.
The president will be looking for help from the Saudis to kick-start the stalled Middle East peace process.
One of the most viable prospects for reviving the talks is the so-called Arab peace plan, which the Saudis, King Abdullah in particular, had a large part in crafting.
The plan envisions all Arab countries offering peace to Israel in exchange for the Jewish state withdrawing to its pre-1967 borders - giving back some land to the Palestinians.
The plan was endorsed by President George W. Bush's administration, and Mr. Obama is likely Thursday to discuss with Abdullah how it can be implemented.
On Thursday, the president goes to Cairo University in Egypt to deliver his long-promised speech on U.S. relations with the Muslim world. He also will hold talks with President Hosni Mubarak and visit a mosque.
CBS News chief political consultant Marc Ambinder says in his "On The Marc" column that the White House's level of consultation with Arab countries about the timing, location (a modern college - in Egypt) and content of Mr. Obama's speech has been unprecedented.
"That's because a successful speech will be as useful for the interests of many parts of the Arab world as it will be for the national security of the United States," says Ambinder. (Click here to read more on "Obama's Challenge In Egypt" from Ambinder.)