President Barack Obama and Abu Dhabi's crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan discussed a series of regional conflicts in the Middle East in a private meeting ahead of a summit with Gulf leaders on Thursday, the White House said.

Obama and the Crown Prince agreed on the need for a political settlement for the Yemen conflict, and the need to rally international support for Libya's nascent government and to head off the "actions of potential spoilers" there, the White House said.