TOP STORY: In his first stop on a diplomatic mission aimed at restoring the U.S. relationship with the Middle East, President Barack Obama stopped in Riyadh to hold talks with Saudi King Abdullah on the Arab-Israeli conflict, Iran's nuclear program, and oil prices.
Obama may be hoping to entice the Saudis toward a significant gesture toward Israel, but Arab leaders are unlikely to act unilaterally without further concessions from the Jewish state. Obama met with Israeli foreign minister Ehud Barak in Washington just before he left, and pressed the Israeli government to curb further settlement growth in the West Bank.
Tomorrow, Obama will deliver a highly-anticipated speech to the Muslim world from Cairo University. Obama has promised that he will not avoid difficult topics as he faces up to significant regional distrust of the United States stemming from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the treatment of prisoners in the war on terrorism, and U.S. support for Israel.
Al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al Zawahiri made his position on Obama's visit clear yesterday, saying in a new recorded message that Obama's "bloody messages" would not be "concealed by public relations campaigns or by farcical visits or elegant words."
For more on the challenges Obama faces on Cairo, read Ramez Maluf on why selling America will be harder than he thinks, Scott Carpenter and Soner Cagaptay on why the idea of a "Muslim world" is misleading, and Liam Stack on the fascinating history of the speech's venue -- all on ForeignPolicy.com.
MUST READ: A document containing sensitive details on U.S. civilian nuclear facilities was briefly posted online yesterday in a self-inflicted security breach by the Government Printing Office.
Asia
- A U.S. investigation has found that military error led to the deaths of dozens of Afghan civilians in air strikes on May 4.
- A Chinese company has purchased GM's Hummer unit.
- Pakistan has ordered the release of an Islamic militant suspected of ties to the Mumbai attacks.
Americas
- The U.S. and Latin American countries failed to reach an agreement on the status of Cuba at the Organization of American States meeting in Honduras.
- A Yemeni detainee at Guantanamo Bay has committed suicide.
- Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez says he could not attend the inauguration of El Salvador's president because of a CIA-backed plot to kill him.
Middle East
- With Lebanese elections coming this weekend, Hezbollah says it would invite its pro-Western opponents into a unity government if it wins.
- Visiting Russia, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman explicitly said that his country has no intention of attacking Iran.
- Iran's presidential election candidates have begun a series of televised debates.
Africa
- Al Qaeda has killed a British hostage who was kidnapped in Mali last January.
- In his first speech to the nation as South Africa's president, Jacob Zuma promised to create half a million jobs this year.
- Madagascar sentenced its former president -- who was ousted in a coup last March -- to four years in jail for abuse of office.
Europe
- Moldova's parliament has once again failed to elect a president. The parliament will now be dissolved and a new election held this summer.
- A fourth British minister has quit over the country's expenses scandal.
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel attacked the role of central banks in economic recovery, saying they could be creating the next economic crisis.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
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