Trump courts Jordan's King amid embassy, refugee concerns

Washington - Trump and the King were to come face-to-face on Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast.

His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan's visit to Washington this week is testing President Donald Trump's ability to maintain key Arab alliances while cracking down on immigration from some Muslim countries and possibly moving the American Embassy in Israel to occupied Jerusalem. The next few days could provide an indication if Trump is willing to compromise.
King Abdullah, a close US ally, held meetings on Monday with Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Vice President Mike Pence. Trump and the King were to come face-to-face on Thursday at the National Prayer Breakfast, the White House said. The King also planned to meet with US lawmakers this week.
King Abdullah's trip comes as the Trump administration is embroiled in its first major Mideast controversy, sparked by Trump's executive order temporarily halting all refugee admissions and suspending entry to the US for citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries.
Trump's embassy decision looms even larger for Jordan.
The Kingdom, fighting as part of US-led coalition against the Daesh group, is closely watching to see if Trump fulfills a campaign pledge to move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem. Doing so could trigger widespread protests among Jordan's massive Palestinian population, potentially even jeopardizing King Abdullah's hold on power.
"The US relationship is central to the internal stability of the Kingdom," said Robert Satloff, who runs the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "This is really part and parcel of the national security fiber of the kingdom, and building this new relationship is really important to the King."
The embassy was a prime topic of discussion in Abdullah's meeting with Pence, officials said. The White House said they discussed Abdullah's "views on potential changes" and how to make progress on Israeli-Palestinian peace. The Jordanian Embassy in Washington said the US "committed to working closely with Jordan" on issues related to the conflict.
During his campaign, Trump pledged repeatedly to move the American Embassy in Israel, a promise former US presidents have made and broken. Since his inauguration, Trump has backtracked slightly, with White House spokesman Sean Spicer saying the administration is only in the "beginning stages of even discussing" such a move.
Both Trump and Abdullah say they want close ties. On Twitter, Trump said during the campaign he had "great respect" for Jordan's Monarch. The two spoke by phone shortly after Trump was elected.
Jordan, like most US allies in the region, has avoided criticising Trump's temporary ban on refugee admissions and on travel to the US by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.
However, the refugee measure - which indefinitely blocks Syrian refugees - could still trouble Jordan. The Syrian neighbour hosts more than 650,000 refugees from Syria's civil war and wants other countries to help resettle refugees to ease its burden.

• MENA