President Trump met the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in Saudi Arabia last year. Photo: Bandar Algaloud / Saudi Royal Council / Handout / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
President Trump, who wants to bring feuding Persian Gulf monarchies to Camp David for a spring summit, plans to tell them next week: No breakthrough in the Qatar crisis, no Camp David, AP's Josh Lederman writes:
The state of play: "A potential summit of the six-country Gulf Cooperation Council in May at the prestigious presidential retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains will be scuttled unless Qatar and neighbors Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are on track to resolve the nearly year-long spat."
- "Tim Lenderking, the top State Department official for the Persian Gulf, and retired Marine Corps. Gen. Anthony Zinni [are headed] to the region to meet with officials from the countries involved in the dispute."
- The backstory: "There's ... concern that holding the summit while the crisis is still raging could lead to drama that would reflect poorly on Trump."