Saudi King expresses "regret" to Obama for absence from U.S. summit

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud called U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday to "express his regret at not being able to travel to Washington" this week, the White House said.

King Salman confirmed over the phone that he was sending Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the meeting between the leaders of the United States and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, according to a White House statement.

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

In the telephone talk, Obama and King Salman reviewed the agenda for the upcoming meetings and agreed on the necessity of working closely, along with other GCC member states, to build a "collective capacity to address more effectively the range of threats facing the region and to resolve regional conflicts."

The two leaders also discussed the importance of a comprehensive agreement between world powers and Iran that verifiably ensures the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program, said the statement.

Obama welcomed Saudi Arabia's announcement of a humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen and both leaders agreed on the need to address the urgent humanitarian situation in the country.

The two leaders also emphasized the strength of the two countries' partnership and agreed to continue their close consultations on a wide range of issues. Endi