Trump Trip Aims to "Unite Peoples of All Faiths" - McMaster

Trump to visit The Vatican, Israel and Saudi Arabia before NATO and G7 summits on his first trip abroad.

Washington, 16 Sha’ban 1438/13 May 2017 (MINA) – No US president has ever visited the homelands and holy sites of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths all on one trip, as President Donald Trump will do later this month when he visits Saudi Arabia, Israel and Italy.

White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster, during a White House briefing on Friday, said Trump seeks “to unite peoples of all faiths around a common vision of peace, progress and prosperity.”

Trump “will bring a message of tolerance and of hope to billions, including to millions of Americans who profess these faiths. The President will focus on what unites us,” KUNA reported, citing McMaster..

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Trump’s trip will begin in Saudi Arabia, home to the two holiest sites in Islam, followed by a visit to Israel. With Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Trump will “express his desire for dignity and self-determination for the Palestinians, and to leaders and peoples alike across the entire trip, he will demonstrate his hopes for just and lasting peace,” McMaster said.

In Rome, Trump will accept an audience with Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church. There, Trump looks forward to “discussing religious freedom, ways to combat religious persecution, human trafficking and cooperating on humanitarian missions across the globe,” McMaster said.

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Trump will also meet with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, who is hosting the G-7 industrialized democracies conference in Sicily.

From Rome, Trump will continue to Brussels for the NATO leaders meeting, where “he will reaffirm America’s commitment to the alliance, while stressing the need for members to pay their fair share, to shoulder responsibility, to share burdens and for the institution to continue on the path of strengthening the alliance,” McMaster said.

Trump will end his trip in Sicily for the G-7 meeting in Taormina, where he will “promote American economic leadership and then also address unfair trade practices,” McMaster said.

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“He will remind our friends and partners that we are eager to explore further ways to address threats to our mutual security from North Korea, to Afghanistan, to the broader Middle East,” he added. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)