US top diplomat arrives in Morocco

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Morocco Monday to meet senior officials and hold talks with the United Arab Emirates' de facto leader, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

Blinken flew in from Israel, where he joined a historic meeting of fellow top diplomats from the Jewish state, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain and Egypt. The meeting underlined the recent positive shift in relations between Arab countries and Israel.

US officials said talks in Morocco on Tuesday, and in a follow-up stop Wednesday in Algeria, would deal with development issues, as well as the economic fallout from the Ukraine war, which has impacted food supplies for major grain importers in the region.

Discussions were also expected to address cooperation on confronting the continued threat from the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda affiliates in the Sahel region.