LAST UPDATE: 19.19
US President Joe Biden has ruled out visiting Saudi Arabia, which he has vowed to treat as a “rogue state” but said it was too early to confirm a meeting with the kingdom’s crown prince.
“I do not know for sure when I will go” and “there is a possibility that I will meet with the Israelis and with (the leaders) of the Arab countries,” he told reporters. “Saudi Arabia will be part of the tour if I go there, but I do not see any immediate plan at this stage,” he added.
US media reported on Thursday that the Democratic president has decided to visit Riyadh by the end of June. The New York Times and the Washington Post even wrote that he finally decided to meet there with the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, with whom he categorically denied any contact so far, believing that his interlocutor should be King Salman.
On Wednesday, the White House said that Biden still considers the prince’s successor “outcast” due to his role in the assassination of his political rival, journalist Jamal Kasogi, in 2018 in Turkey. The Saudi government denies any involvement of the Crown Prince in the case.
Asked about the prince today, Biden said: “I will not change my mind about human rights, but as President of the United States, my job is to promote peace when it is possible, and that is what I am trying to do.” He insisted it was “premature” to talk about a meeting with the prince, stressing that he was “focusing” on peace between Israel and the Arab world.
Washington is trying to persuade Riyadh to increase its oil production to reduce fuel prices and inflation. In this context, Biden considered “positive” the decision taken yesterday by Saudi Arabia and other OPEC + countries.
Source: AMPE
Source: Capital
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