Biden plans Middle East tour – May meet with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia

The U.S. government is planning a trip to the Middle East by US President Joe Biden later this month for meetings with Washington allies in the Gulf and may be in the same area for the first time with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Reuters news agency reported. provided they are not named.

No final decisions have been made yet, according to sources inside and outside the US.

The trip, planned after a G7 summit in Germany and a NATO summit in Spain, could include a visit to Israel for talks with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, according to sources.

Asked about the possibility of Biden going to Saudi Arabia, White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre told reporters yesterday that she was not aware of any trip, adding that the US president’s view of the Saudi prince did not change.

Expressing anger over the murder of Jamal Kasogi, a Washington Post columnist who, according to US intelligence, was approved if not ordered by Mohammed bin Salman, Biden vowed to change bilateral relations. His predecessor, Donald Trump, had a warm relationship with the Saudi Crown Prince.

If the visit takes place, it will be part of an effort to rekindle bilateral relations as the Biden administration looks for ways to reduce fuel prices in the United States. Some sources noted that the US president could attend the meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), whose members are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. During the presidency of Barack Obama, a US-GCC summit was held once a year.

But before that happens, Washington wants to extend the truce in Yemen and clarify oil production from Riyadh and Dubai, according to a Reuters source.

SOURCE: AMPE

Source: Capital

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