Riyadh. Donald Trump tells Muslim leaders not to shelter terrorists. President Donald Trump has said the United States seeks “a coalition of nations” to stamp out extremism in the Middle East and urged Muslim countries to ensure “terrorists find no sanctuary on their soil.”
Speaking to Muslim and Arab leaders in Riyadh on Sunday, Trump said the war against terrorism was a “battle between good and evil” rather than a clash of civilizations.
Thisis a battle between barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life, and decent people of all religions who seek to protect it,” he said in his first high-stakes speech abroad.
TheRepublican president said the Middle East’s potential has been held by ongoing conflicts and bloodshed, and called on Muslim nations to “honestly” confront what he called “Islamist extremism and the Islamist terror groups it inspires.”
“We can only overcome this evil if the forces of good are united and strong, and if everyone in this room does their fair share and fulfills their part of the burden…the nations of the Middle East cannot wait for American power to crush this enemy for them.”
Noting that the region was facing “a humanitarian and security disaster,” Trump claimed that the US vision was “one of peace, security, prosperity in Middle East region and throughout the world.”
“Terrorism has spread across the world. But the path to peace begins right here, on this ancient soil, in this sacred land,” he added.
The speech is seen as part of an effort to reset relations with the Muslim world after Trump frequently attacked Muslims on the campaign trail last year. He also angered millions of Muslims around the world by his push to ban Muslims from entering the US.
“We are not here to lecture, we are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be, or how to worship,” Trump said at the summit.
Trump also attacked Iran and accused the Islamic Republic of being the source of “so much instability in the region.”
“For decades Iran has fueled the fires of sectarian conflict and terror; it’s a government that speaks openly of mass murder, vowing the destruction of Israel, death to America, and ruin for many leaders and nations in this very room,” he said.
Experts says Trump’s selection of Saudi Arabia as his maiden overseas trip signals that he is willing to embrace a country responsible for widespread human rights violations and an escalating humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Less than a year ago on the campaign trail, Trump vilified the Saudi influence on US foreign policy, openly accused the kingdom of being behind the 9/11 terror attacks, and demanded the US be paid for protecting the monarchy.
