Trump and Saudi King discuss Syria ‘safe zones’

The White House says that King Salman of Saudi Arabia has agreed to support the creation of “safe zones” in Syria and Yemen. A White House statement said that the agreement was reached during a phone conversation between President Trump and King Salman yesterday.

Trump had pitched the idea of a “safe zone” during his presidential campaign. For more than a year on the campaign trail, Trump promised to halt the flow of Syrian refugees into the country, warning that they could be a “Trojan horse”.

But he said that the United States would aid the humanitarian crisis caused by millions of Syrians fleeing the war in their country by setting up a “safe zone” in Syria and then forcing wealthy Arabian Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia to pick up the bill.

According to The Washington Post, Trump brought up safe zones during phone calls with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. There was, however, no mention of who will fund the safe zones.

Reuters reported that the Saudi Press Agency, in an initial readout of the call, made no specific mention of safe zones, but said the two leaders had affirmed the “depth and durability of the strategic relationship” between the two countries.

The agency later said “the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques had confirmed his support and backing for setting up safe zones in Syria,” but did not mention Yemen, where a Saudi alliance is fighting against the Iran-aligned Shia Houthi group.

A senior Saudi source also told Reuters the two leaders spoke for more than an hour by telephone and agreed to step up counterterrorism and military cooperation, as well as enhancing economic cooperation in line with Saudi’s economic programme dubbed Vision 2030.