US President Joe Biden’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has sparked criticism. Not only because of the general human rights situation in Saudi Arabia, but especially because of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi almost four years ago. Bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the kingdom, is said to have ordered it personally. He received Biden Friday evening in the coastal city of Jeddah. It was the first direct meeting between a US president and the heir apparent since Khashoggi’s assassination.
Biden addressed the assassination of the Saudi government critic to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – but he denied any responsibility. “He actually said he was not personally responsible for it. I stated that I think he is,” the US president said Friday. He addressed the topic “crystal clear” at the beginning of the meeting with the Saudi leadership. “I don’t regret what I said. What happened to Khashoggi was outrageous,” Biden said.
Kingdom warns against interference
The Saudi government came close on Saturday: it warned the United States against interference. “Enforcing values is counterproductive,” Saudi Arabia-funded news channel Al-Arabiya quoted a government official as saying. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman assured Friday evening that the kingdom has “taken the necessary steps in the Khashoggi incident”.
Journalist Khashoggi, who lives in the US, was brutally murdered in 2018 by an assassination squad at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. US secret services see the crown prince as directly responsible. He denied that he ordered the murder. Biden has had to defend his trip and meeting with the crown prince against criticism for weeks. The US president arrived in Saudi Arabia from Israel on Friday.
The meeting with the crown prince was a “betrayal of human rights defenders and Saudi dissidents who expect so much more from the president,” Khashoggi-founded organization DAWN (Democracy for the Arab World Now) wrote before Biden’s trip. In the fight for freedom and climate protection, the journey’s signal could hardly have been worse, the authors explained, also considering Saudi Arabia as one of the world’s largest oil producers.
“Blood on Your Hands”
The greeting also caused a stir: Biden and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – also known by his acronym “MBS” – briefly but friendly clenched their fists. According to the White House, this was done to minimize physical contact because of Corona. Reporters speculated that Biden did not want to shake hands with the crown prince. Khashoggi’s fiancé, Hatice Cengiz, tweeted a photo of the fist salute with the caption: “The blood of the next victims of MBS is on your hands.” Biden said, “I’m sorry she feels this way.”
Joe Biden reacted harshly to the press conference after the delegation’s working meeting. “What a stupid question!” said a reporter who had asked the US president how he could be sure there would never be another murder like Khashoggi’s. “How can I be sure?” Biden continued. He couldn’t predict anything – especially not for Saudi Arabia or any other part of the world. It wasn’t the first time he reacted harshly to a question.
Important military partners
According to the White House, Biden reiterated the US pledge to defend Saudi Arabia from outside attacks. Washington and Riyadh have worked closely together for decades, including in the military field. Biden’s pledge should also be taken as an announcement against Shia Iran, which is hostile to Sunni Saudi Arabia. Riyadh sees the Houthis as a close ally of Tehran. The rebels have repeatedly fired missiles at Saudi Arabia from civil war-torn Yemen.
According to the White House, Biden welcomed Saudi Arabia’s “strong commitment” to a ceasefire in Yemen, where a civil war has been raging since 2014. Saudi Arabia has pledged to extend it, it said in a statement. Prior to the visit, there had been speculation as to whether the current temporary ceasefire could be changed to a permanent ceasefire during the trip.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
