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Saudi Arabia excludes Iran from Arab-Islamic summit with Trump

May 11, 2017 at 8:48 am

Saudi Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud (L) meets US President Donald Trump (R) at the White House in Washington, United States on 14 March 2017 [Saudi Council Handout/Anadolu Agency]

Saudi Arabia has excluded Iran from the Arab-Islamic summit with US President Donald Trump scheduled to take place in Riyadh this month, sources told Quds Press.

The sources said that invitations were sent to Turkey, Pakistan, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Iraq, the Gulf states and other Arab and Islamic countries.

Professor of political science at Qatar University, Mohammed Al-Musfer, said: “Excluding Iran from the summit is understandable because of the severed diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Tehran, and because Iran is not part of the Islamic alliance.”

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He stressed the importance of the timing of Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia saying it could address the serious security situation in the region.

Al-Musafer denied reports that Trump’s visit to Israel after the summit could have implications for the Palestinian cause saying “this is not the first time a US president visits an Arab country and then moves to visit Israel”.

“Former US President, Barack Obama, visited Israel after speaking in Cairo. Moreover, this summit is not about the Palestinians but concerns security issues related to the entire region.”