Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and several international officials will be in Riyadh this week for talks aimed at pushing for a peace agreement in Gaza to be held on the sidelines of a World Economic Forum meeting, the WEF's president said on Saturday.
Mahmoud Abbas © Mena Today
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and several international officials will be in Riyadh this week for talks aimed at pushing for a peace agreement in Gaza to be held on the sidelines of a World Economic Forum meeting, the WEF's president said on Saturday.
"We do have the key players now in Riyadh and hopefully the discussions can lead into a process towards reconciliation and peace," Børge Brende said at a news conference in Riyadh, adding that Gaza's humanitarian crisis would be on the agenda.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend the meetings alongside regional leaders including Qatar's prime minister, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Oman's crown prince and Bahraini officials, Brende said.
Egypt's foreign minister, Brende said, would be there to update officials on a round of talks Egyptian negotiators held in Israel on Friday in an effort to restart stalled efforts to end the war in Gaza and return the remaining Israeli hostages.
"There is now a bit of momentum for negotiations on the hostages and also a possible cease-fire," Brende said.
Saudi Arabia has cut oil shipments to Europe after drone attacks damaged its key export pipeline to the Red Sea, trade sources told Reuters, prompting top customers such as Poland to rush to seek alternatives as cargo prices topped $120 a barrel.
Qatar warned Tuesday that a closure of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, following its seizure by Yemen's Houthi rebels, would be "catastrophic" for the global economy.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed the need to ensure freedom and security of navigation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea during talks on Tuesday, the Egyptian presidency said.
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