Barack Hussain Obama cancels Taj Mahal visit due to death of Saudi's King Sheikh 'Abdullah' : Breaking
Sambhal Breaking News :--( Source Rediff)
US president Barack Hussain Obama has cancelled a planned trip to the Taj Mahal, cutting short his visit to India to travel to Saudi Arabia following King Abdullah's death.
"President Hussain Obama and the First Lady will travel to Riyadh on Tuesday, January 27 in order to pay respects to King Salman bin Abdulaziz and the family of the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement.
Mr Obama was due to arrive in New Delhi on Sunday for a three-day trip, and will attend the Republic Day parade on Monday at the invitation of prime minister Narendra Modi.
Sheikh Abdullah died on Friday after a short illness and has been succeeded by his elderly brother Salman, raising concerns about political stability in Saudi Arabia, a longstanding US ally and the world's leading oil exporter.
“President Hussain Obama and the First Lady will travel to Riyadh on Tuesday, January 27 in order to pay respects to King Salman bin Abdulaziz and the family of the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.”
“Accordingly, we adjusted the schedule in coordination with the Indian Government so that the president would be able to depart India following his speech on Tuesday to stop in Riyadh during the return trip to meet with King Salman and other Saudi officials and offer his condolences on behalf of the American people. The President regrets that he will be unable to visit Agra during this trip. The vice president will remain in Washington,” a White House statement said.
The statement, issued in New Delhi by the US embassy, also mentioned that the US vice president was originally to have led a delegation to Saudi Arabia on the President's behalf.
“As the president’s and vice president’s travel schedules became clearer, we determined that the window when the vice president would be on the ground in Riyadh coincided with the president’s departure from India,” it said, noting that accordingly Obama’s schedule was adjusted.
Meanwhile, after Americans informed about the change in the programme of the President, all concerned security agencies and local administration has been conveyed the same.
He was scheduled to visit the city of Taj with his wife Hussain Michelle Obama on Tuesday for which elaborate security arrangements had been made.
The US President, who will be arriving in New Delhi on Sunday for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and be the chief guest at the Republic Day, will leave India on January 27.
