Conflicting reports have emerged in the U.S. media in the past 24 hours surrounding an expected visit by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the United States this month.
Last night, an exclusive report by Joyce Karam for The National said the Crown Prince would visit the United States for a longer visit, starting March 19th. That report, which did not name any sources, said Crown Prince Mohammed would visit cities on both coasts, in Washington, D.C., New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle.
However, another report today by Reuters seems to conflict with the report in The National. Reuters reports that the prince is expected for only a “short visit” to visit Washington D.C., New York City and Boston. The Reuters report said Crown Prince Mohammed would arrive on the 19th, but stay only three days.
The unnamed source cited in the Reuters interview said the details of the trip have yet to be finalized, just three weeks before his expected arrival.
An earlier report on February 2nd in Al Monitor, which has since been removed from that website, said the Crown Prince would also visit Houston.
The Crown Prince is widely expected to meet with President Trump in Washington, D.C. The two spoke by phone yesterday, but the subsequent readout of the call by the White House did not mention an upcoming visit.
No official announcement has been made regarding the trip by the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C. or by other Saudi government entities involved in the planning of the trip. The uncertainty caused by a dearth of information on the visit leaves government officials and top-level business and investment executives little time to make arrangements for meetings and events surrounding the visit.
The visit will be the first made to the U.S. by Prince Mohammed since becoming Crown Prince in June. President Trump’s first official international trip after inauguration was to Saudi Arabia.
