Muslim ban 'just a suggestion'

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump appears to have softened his stance on temporarily barring Muslims from travelling to the US.

Responding to remarks by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Trump told Fox News Radio the ban was "just a suggestion". Khan has expressed concern that he would not be able to travel to the US under a Trump administration because of his Muslim faith.

Trump had offered to make an "exception" for Khan. Khan refused Trump's offer, saying the New York businessman's views were "ignorant" and would make the UK and the US "less safe".

Trump proposed a ban on Muslims entering the US after attacks in Paris killed 130 people last year. The suggested ban has been widely criticised in the US and abroad but Trump until now has stood by the proposal, saying it was needed to ensure US security, reports BBC.

"It's a temporary ban. It hasn't been called for yet," Trump said on Wednesday. "This is just a suggestion until we find out what's going on." Trump has shifted positions in the past on a variety of issues only to change his stance days later.

Meanwhile, Trump sat down with House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan yesterday in an unusual and highly anticipated meeting aimed at healing fissures in the party.

The two met for about an hour at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee near the US Capitol building, sources told Reuters.

"With that focus, we had a great conversation this morning. While we were honest about our few differences, we recognize that there are also many important areas of common ground," the two said in a joint statement after the meeting.

"This was our first meeting, but it was a very positive step toward unification," the statement said.

Party leaders are normally eager to rally around a presidential nominee in order to unite forces for the general election battle. But Ryan has withheld his endorsement of Trump out of concern over his incendiary tone and policy ideas that run counter to deeply held Republican doctrine.

Trump's campaign has suggested Ryan's support is not essential, pointing to the more than 10 million votes Trump has received as the prospective Republican nominee during the party nominating process.

Still, a Ryan endorsement would help Trump and the party move past an increasingly awkward phase during which Republican office-holders and congressional candidates alike have publicly struggled with the decision on whether to get behind the New York real estate mogul.

Full support of leading party figures such as Ryan would also assist Trump in building the kind of campaign infrastructure and fundraising operation he may need to compete against the likely Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, in the Nov 8 election.