Who will receive Joe Biden when he lands in Jeddah?

That's one of the questions observers in the Kingdom are asking.

Because the visit of the American President, who is expected in the Saudi coastal city on Friday, is not just about geopolitical issues, such as the price of oil, or the threat from Iran.

It is also about the images that reach the public.

Christopher Ehrhardt

Correspondent for the Arab countries based in Beirut.

  • Follow I follow

Majid Sattar

Political correspondent for North America based in Washington.

  • Follow I follow

Relations between the traditional allies are very strained - especially Biden's relationship with the real ruler of the kingdom, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, or "MBS" for short.

The heir to the throne has been avoided in the West as much as possible since his critic Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in autumn 2018.

It is considered certain that "MBS" will not wait on the runway.

It is likely to result in another senior member of the ruling family.

What exactly Biden's meeting with the crown prince will look like was classified information shortly before the visit.

A joint public appearance is considered unlikely, as is a meeting of two.

Both would probably meet in the course of the working rounds.

There was a lot of fussing about this issue in Washington.

The expanded Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jeddah summit also includes a bilateral meeting with the Saudi king and his "leadership team," the National Security Council (NSC) said.

The war in Yemen and climate change were mentioned as issues.

Satisfaction for "MBS"

What was remarkable was what the former Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, who now coordinates the strategic communication of the NSC, did not say: Shouldn't it also be about the price of oil or an increase in production?

And isn't an encounter with the Saudi crown prince the price that Biden has to pay for it?

Kirby: The President will sit down with the King and his executive team.

Then: This also includes the crown prince.

MBS itself would probably not mind staging the encounter with Biden on a larger scale.

For him the visit is a satisfaction, for Biden a humiliation.

In the 2020 election campaign, the Democrat called Saudi Arabia a "pariah" - and the crown prince a "rogue".

The background was the assessment by American secret services that MBS ordered the murder of Khashoggi.

Biden had said at the time that Riyadh would pay a price for this.

But he wasn't under the same domestic political pressure then as he is now, with petrol prices continuing to rise as a result of the war in Ukraine.

One thing is clear to the Saudi public: Biden now has to pay for his harsh criticism and his turning away from the kingdom and the entire region.

Newspaper commentators described the President's visit as a "great political victory for the kingdom" and also as a victory for the crown prince, who fought the battle for "prestige, presence and position" soberly.

At least the "sober" can be argued.

In March there were reports that the heir to the Saudi throne had let Biden run and refused a phone call.

MBS flirted with the good relations with Russia and China and emphasized their importance.

In April, an interview with the Crown Prince in The Atlantic magazine caused a sensation.

When asked if Biden misunderstood anything about him, Muhammad bin Salman replied: "I just don't care.

Angering the Saudi monarchy, he explained, would harm Biden.

"It's up to him to think of America's interests," the crown prince said, shrugging his shoulders and adding, "Go for it," the article said.

Washington tries to calm down

While the Saudi leadership now sees itself as an equal, Washington is trying to downplay the fact that Biden is traveling to the Kingdom as a supplicant, so to speak.

Of course, energy security will also be discussed, Kirby said.

He did not want to confirm that Biden would ask the Saudis to increase oil production.

One does not want to anticipate the talks.

It shouldn't be easy for Riad Biden to bring home success stories.

In general, the kingdom is interested in completely different topics.

The high oil price relieves the state coffers and helps to continue the restructuring of the country's own economy.

Rather, Riyadh is keen to talk about the threat posed by the Iranian regime and its nuclear program.

There is also no interest in human rights issues.