Saudi looks to assert regional role with Trump summit

Riyadh : Saudi Arabia is looking to assert its regional leadership against Iran by hosting a summit between visiting US President Donald Trump and Muslim leaders from around the world, analysts say.

Trump, on his first foreign trip since taking office in January, will tell Muslim leaders of his "hopes for a peaceful vision of Islam" as he seeks support for the war against radical Islamists, Washington has said.

Muslim leaders may also be looking for Trump to build bridges after allegations of Islamophobia against his administration and its effort to bar travellers from six Muslim-majority countries.

But for Riyadh, analysts say, a primary goal is to showcase its leadership of the Muslim world, especially in the face of regional rival Iran.

"This is as much a sign of Saudi regional leadership" as of US assertiveness, and aims to show the extent to which the kingdom can gather key Muslim leaders, said Adam Baron, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

Leaders and representatives of 55 countries -- from the southeast Asian sultanate of Brunei to Africa's Niger and heavyweights including Turkey -- have been invited by King Salman for Sunday's summit with Trump.

The summit will be one of three weekend meetings, as Trump holds bilateral talks with top Saudi officials and with leaders of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) which includes Saudi Arabia.

The bilateral summit on Saturday comes with Saudi leaders rebuilding crucial ties with Washington after feeling that Trump's predecessor Barack Obama tilted too much toward Tehran.

The 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers including the United States was a major step toward ending Tehran's international isolation but raised serious concerns in Arab capitals.