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Saudi Arabia contemplates Trump

Saudi Arabia is pleased with strong talk from US President-elect Donald Trump, but also has worries about his positions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and on recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump gestures to the news media as he appears outside the main clubhouse at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., November 20, 2016.  REUTERS/Mike Segar     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY      - RTSSJJO

The Saudis were surprised by Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, and their numerous America watchers are trying to assess what Trump's foreign policy will mean for the kingdom.

The Saudi partnership with America dates to 1943 when two future kings, Faisal and Khaled, were sent by their father, King ibn Saud, to Washington to confer with President Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt treated the two princes as the royalty they were. They stayed in Blair House, met Roosevelt in the Oval Office and traveled around the country to see how America was mobilized for war.

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