Saudi King to Miss US-Gulf Summit

Local Editor

Newly crowned Saudi King Salman has refused an invitation to attend a landmark US summit hosted by President Barack Obama.

Obama had invited six Gulf kings, emirs and sultans to the presidential retreat at Camp David, seeking to shore up wavering trust while Washington negotiates with Tehran.
Obama's plans now lie in tatters, with only two heads of state slated to attend the Thursday meeting.

Saudi Arabia's embassy in Washington said Sunday that newly-named Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef would instead lead the Saudi delegation to the meeting.
The king's youthful son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- who is tipped as a possible future successor and who has driven recent military operations in Yemen - will also attend.

Even before becoming king, Salman was rumored to be suffering from dementia, and his son and the now crown price have played oversized roles in Saudi foreign policy.
As late as Friday, US officials said they had expected Salman to come to Washington, before learning of the change in plan.
"This is not in response to any substantive issue," insisted one senior US administration official.

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Issa al-Khalifa will also miss the meeting, officials indicated Sunday, with the crown prince coming instead.
That means Obama will likely meet only the leaders of Kuwait and Qatar, despite the prestigious invitation.

A US official said a key part of the meetings would be to support a common Gulf defense infrastructure.
"This focus on mutual security extends to various areas - counterterrorism, maritime security, cybersecurity and ballistic missile defense," the official said.
Washington and the Gulf nations are also expected to discuss conflicts across the Middle East including in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Salman would miss the meeting "due to the timing of the summit, the scheduled humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen and the opening of the King Salman Center for Humanitarian Aid," according to the embassy statement.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team