U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will hold talks in Saudi Arabia on Monday and Tuesday on efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and prevent a larger regional conflict, the U.S. State Department said.
Blinken, who will depart on April 28, will meet with ministers from the Gulf Arab bloc on his first trip to the region since a long-running shadow war between regional rival Iran and U.S. ally Israel escalated into direct conflict.
Blinken will "discuss ongoing efforts to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza that secures the release of hostages, and how Hamas in particular stands between the Palestinian people and a cease-fire," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Blinken will "emphasize the importance of preventing the conflict from spreading and discuss ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace and security in the region," he said.
Before Hamas carried out its deadliest attack on Israel on Oct. 7, Saudi Arabia was discussing normalizing relations with Israel - a landmark step by the guardian of Islam's two holiest sites.
This will be Blinken's fifth visit to Saudi Arabia since Oct. 7, as the United States hopes to put the prospect of normalization on the table to encourage moderation by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a longtime opponent of the creation of a Palestinian state.
Blinken will discuss "the path to an independent Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel," Miller said.
Among the Gulf Cooperation Council countries meeting in Riyadh is Qatar, which has been negotiating for months aimed at halting the deadly Israeli offensive in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of hostages.
In Saudi Arabia, which is one of the world's largest oil exporters, Blinken will also participate in a special session on energy at the World Economic Forum, a gathering of the world's business elite that takes place in January in Davos, Switzerland.
Miller said Blinken will promote efforts to combat climate change, a key priority for President Joe Biden, which is in stark contrast to his election rival Donald Trump./BГNES
