Trump, Saudi crown prince discuss Mideast peace

Washington D.C. [United States], June 22 (ANI): United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday called Saudi Arabia's new crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, to congratulate him on his recent elevation and discussed ways to resolve the ongoing dispute in the gulf region. "The President and the Crown Prince committed to close cooperation to advance our shared goals of security, stability, and prosperity across the Middle East and beyond," the White House said in a statement. "The two leaders discussed the priority of cutting off all support for terrorists and extremists, as well as how to resolve the ongoing dispute with Qatar. They discussed efforts to achieve a lasting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians," the statement added. They also discussed ways to further deepen economic cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Recently, six Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, as well as the Western-recognised governments of Yemen and Libya, abruptly cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, after accusing it of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamist political movement that allegedly supports pro-Iran militias, and funding terror activities. Following the crisis, Iranian officials had accused the U.S. of setting the scene for the escalating Gulf diplomatic crisis during President Donald Trump's recent trip to the Saudi Arabia. Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been accused of being responsible for the prevailing Gulf crisis, has offered to host a White House meeting to resolve it. "In a call with Qatari Emir Tameem Bin Hamad Al Thani, the President offered to help the parties resolve their differences, including through a meeting at the White House if necessary," said a White House statement. The statement said that Trump emphasised the importance of all countries in the region working together to prevent the financing of terrorist organisations and stop the promotion of extremist ideology. (ANI)