NYTimes/ here The king of Saudi Arabia had Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton over for a friendly lunch Monday here at his desert camp, northeast of Riyadh. In a gesture of informality, King Abdullah reached for his remote control and switched on a giant flat-screen TV as soon as they sat down to eat at the vast horseshoe-shaped table. With sports scores and highlights from a soccer match blaring from the screen, the king and Mrs. Clinton chatted over a buffet of lamb, rice, hummus and other dishes. At times, they lapsed into silence and stared at the TV, which, as if on cue, covered Mrs. Clinton’s visit to Saudi Arabia.
It was not clear whether the high volume also allowed King Abdullah to discuss private matters with his guest without the rest of the room eavesdropping. (In another gesture to Mrs. Clinton, King Abdullah made a rare exception and invited journalists traveling with her to the lunch.) This time, King Abdullah seemed determined to strike the right mood. He sent his ultraluxurious tour bus to pick up Mrs. Clinton at the airport for the hourlong drive to his camp. The foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, regaled her with jokes and stories about camels on the way. Prince Saud’s stories provided the grist for Mrs. Clinton to break the ice when she arrived at the encampment, a guarded complex with a fleet of helicopters and air-conditioned trailers surrounding a six-pointed black tent that resembled nothing so much as a circus big top.
“I want you to know, your majesty, that his highness thinks camels are ugly,” Mrs. Clinton said with a grin, pointing to Prince Saud.
“I think his highness was not being fair to camels,” the king replied.
NYTimes/ here
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