“My views on Khashoggi have been made absolutely, positively clear and I have never kept quiet asking about human rights,” Biden said Thursday when asked if he would talk about Khashoggi during his meeting with the Saudi leadership. which is expected to take place on Friday.
When Biden travels to Jeddah on Friday, Saudi Arabia will hold a bilateral meeting with Saudi King Salman and his advisers, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Some U.S. officials told CNN that they expect MBS and Biden to have individual time as part of the meeting, though the choreography will likely be driven by the Saudi hosts.
The president on Thursday defended his decision to travel to Saudi Arabia and meet with MBS, which has received bipartisan criticism at home. He said the purpose of the trip was to promote U.S. interests.
“There are so many issues at stake that I want to make clear that we can continue to lead the region and not create a gap, a gap that fills China or Russia, against the interests of both Israel and the United States. States and many other countries said Biden.
Biden said he would deliver a “direct message” to Saudi leaders on Friday: “a message of peace and extraordinary opportunities that a more stable and integrated region could bring to the region and, frankly, to the whole world.”
While oil production is not expected to be the main topic of the meeting, US officials expect the issue to arise: there is hope that the Kingdom will commit to increasing production during the weeks following the meeting. . Biden said Thursday that the reason he goes to Saudi Arabia is “much broader” than just oil and that he travels there to promote U.S. interests.
He noted that he will meet with many Middle Eastern leaders and attend a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council plus three: Egypt, Iraq and Jordan.
Biden said he has a chance to fix the “mistake” of “moving away from our influence in the Middle East,” another reference to the Trump administration.
This story has been updated with additional information.