Afghan President Visits Saudi Arabia --- Afghanistan's new president, Ashraf Ghani, is making his first foreign trip since taking office, fulfilling a promise to undertake a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. -- Ghani's office said in a statement Saturday that he will perform Umrah, a pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken at any time of the year. -- The president will also meet with Saudi King Abdullah and other officials during his visit to Saudi Arabia. -- Ghani promised during his inauguration that his first presidential foreign trip would be to Saudi Arabia for Umrah. -- Umrah is sometimes known as the "lesser pilgrimage," in comparison to the annual Hajj pilgrimage of Islam. -- It is a visit one makes to the Grand Mosque in Mecca, outside of the designated Hajj pilgrimage dates. -- The word "Umrah" means to visit an important place. - More, voanews