SAUDI-US-DIPLOMACY-OBAMA

US President Barack Obama (L) takes off the King Abdul Aziz Order of Merit after it was presented to him by Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud during a bilateral meeting at the king’s ranch in al-Janadriya in the outskirts of Riyadh June 3, 2009. Obama launched a landmark Middle East trip to reach out to the world’s Muslims, but earned a swift rebuke from Osama bin Laden in a stinging new audiotape. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)