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Saudi king to skip U.S.-Gulf summit

Xinhua, May 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud will not join other leaders of Gulf states for a summit with U.S. President Barack Obama scheduled for next week, the Saudi embassy in Washington D.C. said Sunday.

The Saudi monarch will instead send Crown Prince Mohammad bin Naif, who is also deputy prime minister and minister of the interior, for the meeting between the leaders of the United States and other Gulf Cooperation Council member states -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the embassy said in a statement posted on its website.

Obama is scheduled to meet with the GCC leaders first at the White House Wednesday and then at Camp David, a presidential retreat in the state of Maryland, the following day.

The summit, which comes amid deep concerns about Washington's ongoing nuclear talks with Iran and Tehran's growing influence in the region, is expected to boost U.S. security commitment to its Gulf partners.

The Saudi king is also sending Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is serving as second deputy prime minister and minister of defense as well, to the summit, the Saudi embassy said, quoting Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubeir.

Iran and the U.S., Britain, China, France, Russia plus Germany, collectively known as the P5+1 group, are racing against the June 30 deadline for a comprehensive agreement on Tehran's disputed nuclear program after negotiating a framework deal in early April. Endite