RIYADH: Saudi King Salman has called US President Donald Trump to express his appreciation for the effort the US is exerting toward achieving peace in the Middle East, the Saudi Press Agency reported early Monday. King Salman also reiterated the Saudi Arabias commitment to "a just and permanent solution to the Palestinian issue to bring peace, which is the main starting point for the Kingdoms efforts and the Arab Peace Initiative," the report said. The two world leaders also discussed the work of the Group of Twenty (G20) countries chaired by the Kingdom this year, as well as the efforts made within its meetings to protect lives and livelihoods to mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. King Salman "affirmed that the Kingdoms presidency of the G20 will continue to support and coordinate the groups efforts to confront the effects of the epidemic on the human and economic levels," SPA said. The report said the phone conversation took place on Sunday. Despite restrictions on movement worldwide as a result of Covid-19, G20 leaders have held virtual meetings to come up with actions to combat the raging coronavirus pandemic. In a virtual meeting last July, Saudi Arabia led the major economies of the G20 in pledging to use “all available policy tools” to combat the pandemic and boost the global economy.