Rubio and Saudi crown prince discuss Gaza after Trump proposal

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RIYADH (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed plans for Gaza during a meeting on Monday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

Rubio is visiting the Middle East after President Donald Trump infuriated the Arab world with a proposal for the Palestinian residents of the war-torn strip to be resettled in other Arab nations and for the U.S. to lead reconstruction of the enclave.

“The Secretary underscored the importance of an arrangement for Gaza that contributes to regional security,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a readout of the meeting between Rubio and the crown prince.

The two also reaffirmed their commitment to the ceasefire agreed last month between Israel and Hamas and discussed Syria, Lebanon and the Red Sea, Bruce said.

Saudi state news agency SPA said they discussed regional and global developments and efforts to achieve security and stability.

Rubio arrived in Saudi Arabia earlier in the day from Israel where he began his first visit to the region as the top U.S. diplomat.

Rubio’s previously planned visit comes ahead of an anticipated meeting between U.S. officials with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that is set to focus on ending the war in Ukraine and restoring broader Russia-U.S. ties.

Neither side’s statement mentioned discussions about Ukraine.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Jaidaa Taha, Menna Alaa El-Din; writing by Simon Lewis; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Chizu Nomiyama)