State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters that the participation of Saudi Arabia in the planned Middle East conference in the United States still is up in the air. "We're in touch with the Saudis, as well as others in the region who have an interest in moving forward a peace between the Israelis and Palestinians," he told reporters.
Saudi Arabia is considered a key participant in the planned meeting but has stated that it will not attend unless there is a preliminary agreement on the status of Jerusalem and the Arab demand to allow more than five million foreign Arabs to immigrant to Israel. The demand is based on the claim they are descendants of Arabs who fled Israel when the United Nations recognized the Jewish state.