Trump to tone down anti-Muslim rhetoric on S Arabian tour

President Donald Trump will use his first visit to the Middle East to call for unity in the fight against radicalism in the Muslim world, speaking of a ''battle between good and evil'' and urging Arab leaders to ''drive out the terrorists from your places of worship'', according to a draft of the speech obtained by The Associated Press.

Trump touched down in Riyadh aboard Air Force One late on Friday and was welcomed by King Salman and senior Saudi officials.

Riyadh is the first stop on his maiden trip overseas trip as president. The marathon trip will also take him to Israel, the Vatican, Belgium and Italy. The trip is seen as a key test of the president's diplomatic skills and of a foreign policy he has described broadly as ''America First''.

Trump's Saudi visit will coincide with three key summits on Saturday and Sunday, as well as several business activities, cultural, intellectual and sports celebrations, local media reported.

 The Saudi-US Summit today will feature a series of bilateral meetings between King Salman and Trump, and ''focus on re-affirming the long-standing friendship, and strengthening the close political, economic, security and cultural bonds between the two nations.''

It will be followed Sunday by the GCC-US Summit, Arab Islamic American Summit, and the inauguration of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology.

Abandoning some of the harsh anti-Muslim rhetoric of his presidential campaign, the draft of the speech, slated to be delivered in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, envisions new partnerships with America's traditional allies in the Middle East. It notably refrains from mentioning democracy and human rights topics.

''We are not here to lecture to tell other peoples how to live, what to do or who to be. We are here instead to offer partnership in building a better future for us all,'' the document said.

Two different sources provided the AP with copies of the draft of his remarks, billed as a marquee speech of the trip. One version, obtained late Thursday, included edits with comments from an administration official, indicating it was still a work in progress.

The White House confirmed the draft was authentic, but cautioned the President had not yet signed off on the final product.

''The President has not seen this draft,'' White House spokesman Sean Spicer said. ''This is one of five drafts that have been written by various people. He continues to take input and is writing a final version.''

Focus on deal-making
Trump's campaign was marked by his anti-Islamic rhetoric and his administration has twice tried to impose a travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries. ''I think Islam hates us,'' he said at one point.

The draft of the speech includes no mention of ''radical Islamic terrorism'', a phrase that candidate Trump regularly used to criticise what he saw Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama as shying away from. His speech calls terrorism a widespread problem plaguing everyone who loves peace.

''This is not a battle between different faiths, different sects or different civilizations. This is a battle between those who seek to obliterate human life and those who seek to protect it,'' the text reads. ''This is a battle between good and evil.''

Trump may seem an unlikely messenger to deliver an olive branch to the Muslim world.

Only a week after taking office, he signed an executive order to ban immigrants from seven countries mainly Islamic countries from entering the United States. That ban was blocked in federal court, prompting the administration to sign a second one.

The second version, which dropped Iraq from the list, is also blocked in court, though Trump has said the measure is needed for the nation's security.

As a campaigner, he called for a ''total and complete shutdown'' of the entry of Muslims to the United States ''until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on'', insisting that a sizable segment of the Muslim population has ''great hatred toward Americans.''

Trump intends to condemn Syria's President Bashar Assad for committing ''unspeakable crimes against humanity'' and Iran for contributing to spiralling violence in Syria.

''All nations of conscience in the Middle East must work together to roll back Iran's destabilising influence, restore a more stable balance of power in the region, and pray for the day when the Iranian people have the just and responsible government they deserve,'' the draft reads.

Iran and Syria were not invited to the summit, and they are not part of a regional military alliance that Saudi Arabia is establishing to fight terrorism. The kingdom backs efforts to topple the Syrian government, which counts Iran and Russia as its closest allies.

Administration officials believe Trump's decision to begin his trip in Saudi Arabia sends a powerful message to the kingdom - the strained ties that marked US-Saudi relations under Obama are over.

Unlike the Obama administration, which distanced itself from authoritarian leaders and took a moral stance against the human rights violations, Trump is focusing on deal-making. Only in the case of Iran does his speech advocate for the ''longest-suffering'' people who are subject ''to their leaders' reckless attempts to dominate their neighbours.''

Trump hails America's friendship with Saudi Arabia, which ''stretches back many decades, and covers numerous dimensions''. It is a markedly different message from his campaign tweet that said ''Saudi Arabia and many of the countries that gave vast amounts of money to the Clinton Foundation want women as slaves and to kill gays.''