沙特国王将缺席美国-海湾国家峰会
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 this week, the Saudi embassy in Washington D.C. said.
沙特驻华盛顿大使馆宣布，沙特国王萨勒曼·本·阿卜杜勒-阿齐兹·阿勒沙特本周将不会参加海湾国家领导人与奥巴马总统举行的峰会。
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Saudi King Salman at the Royal Court, Thursday, May 7, 2015, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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.