July 11. 2017
FARS
TEHRAN (FNA)- UK government conceded no official visit by US president until 2018 following months of doubt, after months of doubt about the visit.
Amid speculation the US president could have made a surprise stopover after last week’s G20 summit, the government has conceded that the official visit will not take place until 2018, the Guardian reported.
But the decision leaves open the possibility of a low-key visit to London before the end of this year if Trump is in Europe on other business.
Protesters were planning to swing into action at short notice at Trump’s golf courses in Scotland after a Conservative aide fuelled speculation that the president might make a flying visit, saying: “There are currently no plans for him to visit. But his travel plans are a matter for him.”
The government had been warned that the president could visit Turnberry, one of his two golf resorts in Scotland, during his trip to Europe, between attending the G20 summit in Hamburg and joining celebrations for Bastille Day in France on 14 July.
Last month it emerged that Trump told Theresa May in a phone call that he did not want to go ahead with a state visit to Britain until the British public supported him coming. The US president said he did not want to come if there were large-scale protests.
The planned state visit was not mentioned in the last month’s Queen speech, which usually outlines any state visits scheduled for the duration of the parliament.
May invited Trump to Britain seven days after his inauguration when she became the first foreign leader to visit him in the White House. She told a joint press conference she had extended an invitation from the Queen to Trump and his wife, Melania, to make a state visit later in the year and was “delighted that the president has accepted that invitation”.
The invitation has been widely criticized. The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, called on the UK government to cancel the invitation after Trump criticized his response to the London Bridge terrorist attack.
Amid speculation the US president could have made a surprise stopover after last week’s G20 summit, the government has conceded that the official visit will not take place until 2018, the Guardian reported.
But the decision leaves open the possibility of a low-key visit to London before the end of this year if Trump is in Europe on other business.
Protesters were planning to swing into action at short notice at Trump’s golf courses in Scotland after a Conservative aide fuelled speculation that the president might make a flying visit, saying: “There are currently no plans for him to visit. But his travel plans are a matter for him.”
The government had been warned that the president could visit Turnberry, one of his two golf resorts in Scotland, during his trip to Europe, between attending the G20 summit in Hamburg and joining celebrations for Bastille Day in France on 14 July.
Last month it emerged that Trump told Theresa May in a phone call that he did not want to go ahead with a state visit to Britain until the British public supported him coming. The US president said he did not want to come if there were large-scale protests.
The planned state visit was not mentioned in the last month’s Queen speech, which usually outlines any state visits scheduled for the duration of the parliament.
May invited Trump to Britain seven days after his inauguration when she became the first foreign leader to visit him in the White House. She told a joint press conference she had extended an invitation from the Queen to Trump and his wife, Melania, to make a state visit later in the year and was “delighted that the president has accepted that invitation”.
The invitation has been widely criticized. The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, called on the UK government to cancel the invitation after Trump criticized his response to the London Bridge terrorist attack.
[END REPORT]
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