JEDDAH: US President Joe Biden told Arab leaders on Saturday that the United States would remain an active participant in the Middle East, but he failed to secure commitments to a regional security pivot that would include Israel or an immediate increase in oil production. .
“The United States has invested in building a positive future for the region in partnership with all of you – and the United States is going nowhere,” he said, according to a transcript of his speech.
Biden, who began his first visit to the Middle East as president with a visit to Israel, presented his vision and strategy for America’s involvement in the Middle East at an Arab summit in Jeddah.
However, the summit was unclear, and Saudi Arabia, Washington’s most important Arab ally, poured cold water on the US, hoping the summit could help lay the groundwork for a regional security alliance, including Israel, to deal with Iranian threats. could.
During a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Biden raised the highly sensitive issue of human rights, countering the Crown Prince, also known as MBS.
A senior administration said, “We believe it is of great importance to include as many capabilities as possible in this area and of course Israel has significant air and missile defense capabilities, but we are looking forward to working with these countries bilaterally.” Apparently they’re discussing it.” the official told reporters.
The plan to add air defense systems could be a hard sell for Arab states that have no ties with Israel and are part of a coalition against Iran, which has a strong regional proxies including Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. is network.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, said he was not aware of any discussions on the Gulf-Israeli defense alliance and that the Kingdom was not involved in such talks.
He told reporters after the US-Arab summit that Riyadh’s decision to open its airspace to all airspace had nothing to do with establishing diplomatic relations with Israel and was not a harbinger of further steps. .
Biden has focused on the six Gulf states and summits with Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, while undermining the meeting with MBS, which drew criticism in the United States over human rights concerns.
Biden had said he would make regional power Saudi Arabia an “angel” on the global stage over the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents, but that ultimately US interests dictated a realignment in relations with the world’s top oil, not a breakdown. exporter.
A Saudi Arabian minister said the crown prince told Biden that Saudi Arabia had worked to prevent a recurrence of mistakes such as the killing of Khashoggi and that the United States, including Iraq, had also made mistakes.
fist bump
Biden exchanged a fistfight with MBS on Friday, but said he told her he blamed her for Khashoggi’s murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
“The President raised the issue … and the Crown Prince responded that this was a painful episode for Saudi Arabia and it was a terrible mistake,” said Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir.
He said the accused were brought to trial and were being given jail terms.
US intelligence agencies believe the Crown Prince ordered Khashoggi’s murder, which he denies.
Speaking to Reuters about Friday’s talks, Zuber said MBS made the case that attempts to impose values on other countries by force could have the opposite effect.
“When America tried to impose values on Afghanistan and Iraq, it didn’t work. In fact, it had the opposite effect,” Zubair told Biden, quoting the crown prince. “Countries have different values and those values should be respected!”
The exchange highlighted tensions over relations between Washington and Riyadh, its closest Arab allies, over issues including Khashoggi, oil prices and the Yemen war.
Biden needs the help of OPEC giant Saudi Arabia at a time of high crude oil prices and other problems related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Washington also wants to curb Iran’s dominance in the region and China’s global influence.
Biden came to Saudi Arabia hoping to reach a deal on oil production to help slash petrol prices that are driving inflation above a 40-year high and jeopardizing his approval rating.
He leaves the sector empty-handed but expects the OPEC+ group, which includes Saudi Arabia, Russia and other producers, to boost production at a meeting on August 3.
“I look forward to seeing what happens in the coming months,” Biden said.
food security
A second senior administration official said Biden will announce that Washington has promised $1 billion in new near- and long-term food security aid for the Middle East and North Africa, and that Gulf states will commit $3 billion in projects over the next two years. Will promise Align with US participation in global infrastructure and investment.
Gulf states, which have refused to side with the West against Russia over Ukraine, are demanding a concerted commitment from the United States to strategic ties that have been strained by alleged US disengagement from the region.
Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are frustrated by their exclusion from indirect US-Iran talks on US terms on arms sales and reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, with concerns about Iran’s missile program and behavior as flawed. lets see.
Israel had encouraged Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia, hoping it would lead to warmer ties between it and Riyadh as part of a wider Arab relationship.
FacebookTwitterinstagramKu APPyoutube