RIYADH, Saudi Arabia _ President Donald Trump Sunday called on Arab leaders to join the United States in "honestly confronting the crisis of Islamist extremism," refining the harsh anti-terrorist rhetoric of his campaign in a speech in the nation that hosts Islam's holiest sites.
In the first extended remarks of his foreign trip _ and the first major foreign policy address of his presidency _ Trump declared U.S. solidarity in pursuing peace and security in the region, while calling on leaders to do their "fair share" in what he called a battle "between good and evil."
"Terrorism has spread across the world. But the path to peace begins right here, on this ancient soil, in this sacred land," he told a summit of regional leaders in Saudi Arabia's capital.
Combining his "America first" credo with his stated commitment to eradicate terrorist networks like Islamic State, Trump said nations in the Middle East couldn't depend on American power to "crush this enemy for them," and must plan their own future course.
"It's a choice between two futures, and it's a choice America cannot make for you," he said. "Drive them out. Drive them out of your places of worship. Drive them out of your communities. Drive them out of your holy land. And drive them out of this earth."
Speaking before Trump, Saudi King Salman said "presumed Muslims" have presented a distorted picture of the religion.
"We say to our Muslim brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters everywhere, that one of the most important goals of Islamic Sharia is protecting life, and that there is no honor in committing murder," he said. "Islam is the religion of peace and tolerance."
But he focused not on extremist elements in his own nation but those in Iran, which he said was the "spearhead of global terrorism."
Trump, too, said Iran has "spread destruction and chaos across the region," and "fueled the fires of sectarian conflict and terror" for decades.
"Until the Iranian regime is willing to be a partner for peace, all nations ... must work together to isolate it, deny it funding for terrorism and pray for the day when the Iranian people have the just and righteous government they so richly deserve," he said.
Trump's remarks were expected to be highly scrutinized after a campaign in which he called for a "total and complete shutdown" of Muslims entering the United States, and past criticism of Mideast nations, including Saudi Arabia, for not doing enough to counter it.
He regularly attacked President Barack Obama for not using the term "radical Islamic extremism" to describe terrorist threats _ a term that national security officials have said can be counterproductive in rallying majority-Muslim nations to support U.S. counter-terrorism efforts, and can feed terrorist propaganda that portrays the U.S. as at war with Islam.
