U.S. drops bid to arrange Obama summit with divided Gulf states
 

By Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) - The White House has abandoned efforts to arrange a summit with Gulf Arab leaders during President Barack Obama's visit to Saudi Arabia next week because of divisions with the group of regional U.S. allies, Obama's top national security aide said on Friday. Obama will go ahead with his scheduled talks with Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh next Friday, at the end of a trip to Europe that is expected to be dominated by the Ukraine crisis. In an unprecedented move within the Gulf Cooperation Council of allied monarchies, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Qatar on March 5.

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