Saudi Crown Prince discusses Green Initiative with Arab leaders

Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman attends the Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 20, 2021. Picture taken February 20, 2021. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS

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CAIRO (Reuters) - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called the leaders of Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, and Sudan to discuss a massive regional tree-planting project, state news agency (SPA) reported early on Monday.

"The Middle East Green Initiative aims, in partnership with the countries of the region, to plant 50 billion trees as the largest reforestation program in the world," SPA said.

The crown prince unveiled the ambitious campaign on Saturday that sees Saudi Arabia planting 10 billion trees in coming decades and working with other Arab states to plant another 40 billion trees, to reduce carbon emissions and combat pollution and land degradation.

SPA added that initiative also aims "to enhance the efficiency of oil production and increase the contribution of renewable energy, in addition to multiple efforts to preserve the marine and coastal environment, and increase the percentage of natural reserves."

The Saudi Green Initiative is part of the prince's Vision 2030 plan to reduce its reliance on oil revenues and improve quality of life.

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(Reporting by Nayera Abdallah and Ahmed Tolba; Editing by Sam Holmes)