CAIRIO, MARCH 3, 2018 - Saudi Arabia's crown prince lands in Egypt Sunday on the first leg of his maiden foreign tour as heir to the throne. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will hold talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdel Azizi on a host of regional issues of bilateral concern and the means of enhancing Egyptian-Saudi ties in all domains. A Saudi government source said Prince Mohammed's choice of Egypt for his maiden overseas trip as crown prince "reaffirms Saudi-Egyptian co-operation at the highest level". Talks between President Sisi and would cover regional issues, the conflict in Yemen, counter-terrorism and energy cooperation, the source said. Egypt is part of a Saudi-led military coalition which intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to fight Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Egypt and Saudi Arabia are also part of a bloc of nations that has boycotted Qatar since June over its ties to Islamic extremists and Iran. Prince Mohammed bin Salman's two-day visit to Cairo comes ahead of a scheduled trip to Britain on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Theresa May and the United States from March 19-22. The British government said Prince Mohammed's visit will help enhance cooperation in tackling challenges such as "terrorism, extremism, the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen". The crown prince's visit to the United States in late March, which a Saudi government source said could include multiple cities, would highlight the Trump administration's efforts to sign a nuclear cooperation accord with Saudi Arabia. Riyadh is expected to announce this year who will build the first two of up to 16 reactors, and negotiations are under way with the United States for its agreement to export technology needed for their construction. US President Donald Trump hosted Prince Mohammed in March 2017, just weeks after taking office, and he chose Saudi Arabia for his first official overseas visit as president. Saudi Arabia has grown closer to Washington under Trump, whose harder line on Iran and softer stance on arms sales are a welcome shift in policy for Riyadh. The crown prince is also expected to visit France in the coming weeks. Prince Mohammed is a self-styled moderniser who has sought to project a liberal image of Saudi Arabia to investors. The crown prince's visit to the United States in late March, which a Saudi government source said could include multiple cities, would highlight the Trump administration's efforts to sign a nuclear cooperation accord with Saudi Arabia.
