PostedJune 4, 2022, 11:17 PM
President Biden confirmed on Friday that he plans to visit Saudi Arabia, possibly in July rather than June.
Joe Biden had however promised to treat Saudi Arabia as a “pariah” state at the start of his mandate.
AFP
Joe Biden has decided to postpone a possible trip to Israel and especially Saudi Arabia to July instead of the end of June, an already controversial prospect, NBC and CNN announced on Saturday.
The American president initially planned to go to these two countries during the trip which will take him to Spain and Germany at the end of June for diplomatic meetings, they indicate, citing senior American officials. The White House declined to comment to AFP.
The trip might see Joe Biden participate in a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a diplomatic forum bringing together several countries in the region, according to these two American media. This trip, even before being officially organized, is already causing controversy.
“pariah” state
Joe Biden had confirmed on Friday that he planned to go to Saudi Arabia, which he had nevertheless promised to treat as a “pariah”, but judging it premature to discuss a meeting with the crown prince. The “New York Times” and the “Washington Post” wrote that he intended to meet Mohammed bin Salman, whom the American president has so far ostensibly avoided, considering that his interlocutor should be King Salman.
American intelligence assured, in a report made public by Joe Biden shortly following taking office, that the prince had “validated” the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The American leader, who prides himself on leading the great fight of democracies once morest authoritarian regimes, had therefore decided to “recalibrate” relations with the kingdom, placing greater emphasis on human rights.
But a new factor has been added to the diplomatic equation: soaring gasoline prices, which are infuriating American public opinion. Joe Biden’s team is trying to convince Ryad to increase its oil production in the hope that it will lower prices at the pump.
(AFP)
