WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a trip to the Middle East in July, in a break with his campaign promise to convert the kingdom in a “pariah” while fighting to fight. record gasoline prices in the United States.
Weeks after taking office, Biden changed US policy on Saudi Arabia, taking a tougher stance on the kingdom’s human rights record, and in particular the assassination and dismemberment of the Washington Post journalist. Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018. US intelligence implicated the prince in the assassination. The Saudi government has denied any involvement.
Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, had a close relationship with the prince, the de facto ruler of the country. But while running for president in 2019, Biden promised that Saudi Arabia would “pay the price and, in fact, be the outcast they are” for Khashoggi’s assassination. The White House has said as recently as this month that Biden’s view has not changed.
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Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. Biden’s July 13-16 trip will also include a stop in Israel and the occupied West Bank.
A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that if Biden “determines that it is in his interest to relate to a particular leader and if this commitment can work, he will do so”.
The official noted the role of the Crown Prince in helping to achieve an extension of a UN-negotiated truce between Yemen’s warring parties as an example of what he said was the need to link up with Arabia. Saudi Arabia as a way to help bring peace and security to the region.
Biden’s visit to the kingdom from July 15 to 16 comes after the Saudi-led oil-producing group OPEC + agreed to increase oil production to make up for Russian losses – after sanctions Westerners in Moscow for their invasion of Ukraine- and fight rising oil prices. prices and inflation. Read more
TOP OF THE GULF
Washington’s desire to improve ties with the Gulf monarchies has become more urgent after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, which highlighted the importance of Gulf oil producers as Europe seeks to reduce its energy dependence on Russia.
The United States is also trying to further isolate Russia from the Ukrainian war, and is calling on Gulf states to publicly condemn Moscow, three Western diplomats said. Gulf states have so far tried to maintain what they say is a neutral position, but some Western diplomats believe it is on Moscow’s side.
Biden will meet with regional leaders such as Iraq, Egypt and Jordan in Saudi Arabia as part of a Gulf Cooperation Council summit, the White House said. Washington has proposed an agenda that includes regional security, food security, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and energy issues, a Gulf source familiar with the matter said.
In Israel, July 13-14, Biden will focus on the U.S. commitment to the country, which includes billions of dollars in military support. He will hold a virtual summit with the leaders of Israel, India and the United Arab Emirates.
Biden will also travel to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other leaders to reaffirm his commitment to a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians, the U.S. official said.
The visit will help “integrate Israel into the Middle East,” the Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia has expressed support for the so-called Abraham Accords under which the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain established relations with Israel two years ago. But Riyadh has stopped before formally recognizing neighboring Israel.
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Report by Jarrett Renshaw; additional reports by Jonathan Landay, Doina Chiacu, Susan Heavey and Alexander Cornwell; written by Michelle Nichols and Humeyra Pamuk; edited by Jonathan Oatis and Rosalba O’Brien
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