GETTY Saudi Arabia said Donald Trump's visit to the kingdom would aid cooperation in fighting extremism

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Speaking to reporters after the Trump administration said the president would visit Riyadh as well as Israel later this month, Adel al-Jubeir said President Trump had a high probability of succeeding in his efforts to secure a peace deal with Israelis and Palestinians because of his “fresh” approach. Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, will be President Trump's initial stop on his first international trip as president. The move signifies the new administration's intent to reinforce a relationship with a top ally in the Middle East, where the United States is leading a coalition against Islamic State and seeking to counter Iranian influence. Saudi Arabia is part of that coalition.

Describing the visit as historic, Mr al-Jubeir said President Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia would include a bilateral summit, a meeting with Arab Gulf leaders and another with leaders of Arab and Muslim countries.

It's a very clear message to the world that the US and the Arab Muslim countries can form a partnership Adel al-Jubeir - Saudi Arabia foreign minister

"It's a clear and powerful message that the US harbours no ill will” toward the Arab and Muslim world, he said. “It also lays to rest the notion that America is anti-Muslim. ... It's a very clear message to the world that the US and the Arab Muslim countries can form a partnership.” The Republican president has been criticised for immigration policies that have been characterised as anti-Muslim.

GETTY Saudi Arabia foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir

Saudi Arabian protests Sun, January 3, 2016 Demonstrators in the Middle East have protested against the killing of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia. Play slideshow Getty 1 of 12 Demonstrators burn tires during a protest, against the execution of prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi authorities, in Manama, Bahrain

“It will lead to, we believe, enhanced cooperation between the US and Arab and Islamic countries in combating terrorism and extremism, and it will change the conversation with regards to America's relationship with the Arab and Islamic world,” Mr al-Jubeir said. Riyadh and Washington had a testier relationship under former Democratic President Barack Obama's administration, which Saudi Arabia felt placed less importance on the Saudi-US relationship than on securing a nuclear deal with Iran. Jubeir also said the Trump administration had taken steps to advance the sale of precision-guided munitions, which had been suspended by the previous U.S. administration over concerns about civilian casualties in the conflict in Yemen. “The administration has released them and they're in the process now of working on the notification to the U.S. Congress,” Mr al-Jubeir said. The sale is expected to include more than $1billion worth of the munitions made by Raytheon Co, people familiar with the talks have said, including armour-piercing Penetrator warheads and Paveway laser-guided bombs.

GETTY Riyadh city skyline, Saudi Arabia