Reversal of Biden, who will meet the Saudi crown prince during a visit to Riyadh
In 2019, Joe Biden made no secret of his desire to banish the Saudi kingdom from nations.
(illustrative image) AP - Manuel Balce Ceneta
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Joe Biden will visit Saudi Arabia this month.
This is a particularly notable reversal from his statements during the presidential campaign.
He did not hide his desire to banish the Saudi kingdom from the nations.
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"
We're going to make them pay the price and we're going to make them the pariahs that they are
."
So said Joe Biden in 2019 during a presidential debate between Democratic presidential candidates.
The year before, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, columnist for the
Washington Post
, was murdered, dismembered and dissolved in acid by Saudi agents in the country's consulate in Istanbul.
A crime impossible without the order of Crown Prince Mohammed Bel Salman, de facto ruler of the kingdom.
No one took him on the phone at the White House after the departure of Donald Trump.
Since the beginning of the presidential mandate, the Biden administration has explained that human rights are the cornerstone of its diplomacy.
But times are changing.
For several months now, the United States has had its eyes riveted on prices at the pump, which are beating record after record.
Unbearable as the President has made inflation his top priority before the midterm elections arrive.
And precisely, OPEC, led by Saudi Arabia,
has just announced an increase
in its production capable of relaxing the crude oil market, recalls our
correspondent in Washington,
Guillaume Naudin
.
Speculation about such a trip in June was rife, but according to the
New York Times
, it has now been confirmed: the President of the United States "
has decided to go to Riyadh this month to rebuild relations with the oil kingdom as he seeks to drive down gasoline prices in his country and isolate Russia on the international stage
”.
There , "
he will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
" and other leaders of Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, the daily added.
He said that the logistical details and the timetable had yet to be confirmed, but that the visit would be added to a trip already planned for the end of June to Israel, Germany for the G7 summit and Spain for that of NATO.
The
Washington Post
also reported on the trip, quoting anonymous officials, stressing that the “
tete-a-tete
” with the powerful prince would come after several “
discreet
” missions in the rich Gulf country of his adviser for the Middle East. , Brett McGurk, and his envoy for energy affairs, Amos Hochstein, who tirelessly plead for an increase in crude oil production in order to bring down inflation.
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Joe Biden
United States
Saudi Arabia