Headlines
Agra visit off, Obama heads to Riyadh
US President Barack Obama
will travel to Riyadh to condole the death of Saudi Arabia's king
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and will not visit Agra, the White House
said Saturday.
Obama and his wife Michelle "will travel to
Riyadh Tuesday in order to pay respects to King Salman bin Abdulaziz and
the family of the late king Abdullah bin Abdulaziz," the statement,
issued by White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, said.
Obama will arrive India Sunday on a three-day visit. He was to visit Agra Jan 27.
The
statement said Vice President Joe Biden 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.
"Accordingly,
we adjusted the schedule in coordination with the Indian government so
that the president would be able to depart India following his speech
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."
White House said that Obama "regrets that he will be unable to visit Agra during this trip".
"The vice president will remain in Washington," the statement added.