Saudi King Travel Plans ‘Unrelated’ to Agenda at Camp David - White House

The travel plans by Saudi Arabian King Salman Al Saud are not related to his inability to be present at Camp David for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit on Thursday to address pressing security concerns, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said during a White House briefing.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Thursday, the United States will meet with other Gulf countries at Camp David to discuss security concerns in the Middle East.

“The [Saudi King’s] travel plans are completely unrelated to the agenda at Camp David,” Earnest said on Monday. “There’s been no concern raised by our Saudi partners before the change in travel plans or after related to the agenda at Camp David.”

Earnest said that the Saudi government will be well represented by the Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, the former interior minister, and the Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the son of the Saudi King and a chief defense official.

“We [White House] continue to be confident senior officials representing Saudi Arabia are empowered to represent Saudi Arabia,” Earnest said.

Earnest concluded the White House is confident of Saudi and other Gulf leaders in making commitments, living up to those commitments, and discussing ways in which the US relationship with GCC partners can be deepened.

The GCC is a regional intergovernmental economic union consisting of the Arab state of the Persian Gulf. Its members are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.