Obama leads US dignitaries paying respects in Saudi Arabia
By JULIE PACE, Associated Press
Jan 27, 2015 6:28 AM CST
U.S. President Barack Obama waves to the audience after delivering a speech at the Siri Fort Auditorium, a government-run event center, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015. Obama gently nudged India Tuesday to fulfill its constitution's pledge to uphold the "dignity of the individual," drawing...   (Associated Press)

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — President Barack Obama is leading a high-level delegation of current and former American officials to Saudi Arabia Tuesday to pay respects following King Abdullah's death and to take measure of the kingdom's new monarch.

Obama cut short the final day of his trip to India to make the four-hour stop in Riyadh. He will hold his first formal meeting with new King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, and then attend a dinner with other Saudi officials at the Erga Palace.

Secretary of State John Kerry is joining Obama in Riyadh, along with former Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and James Baker III. Sen. John McCain, the Arizona republican who is a frequent critic of Obama's foreign policy in the Middle East, is also part of the delegation.

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