Human rights and regional security top the agenda as Blinken visits Saudi Arabia
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has held "open, candid" talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah this Wednesday, covering bilateral issues between Riyadh and Washington, as well as international relations ranging from Iran, China and the crisis in Sudan.
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The top US diplomat arrived in Saudi Arabia late on Tuesday for a much anticipated visit amid frayed ties due to deepening disagreements on everything from Iran policy to regional security issues, oil prices and human rights.
Washington has struggled to steady the relationship with Riyadh, where the de facto ruler Prince Mohammed has dominated the decision-making, and as the traditional oil-for-security alliance has essentially crumbled under the emergence of the United States as a major oil producer.
Blinken's visit came days after Saudi Arabia pledged to deepen oil output cuts on top of a broader OPEC+ deal to limit supply, as it seeks to boost flagging oil prices despite opposition from the Biden administration in Washington.
Blinken and the crown prince – known as MbS – reportedly met for an hour and forty minutes, covering topics including Israel, the conflict in Yemen, unrest in Sudan as well as human rights.
A US official speaking to the Reuters news agency said: "There was a good degree of convergence on potential initiatives where we share the same interests, while also recognising where we have differences."
📹 | HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with #US Secretary of State @SecBlinken, during which they discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and regional and international developments. pic.twitter.com/9evCQF26m8
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) June 7, 2023
Relations with Israel
A good part of the discussion was expected to be dominated by the possible normalisation of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, even though officials had played down the likelihood of any immediate progress on the issue.
Saudi Arabia – a powerhouse in the Middle East and home to Islam's two holiest shrines – gave its blessing to Gulf neighbours United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to establish diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020 under the previous US administration of Donald Trump.
Riyadh has not followed suit, saying Palestinian statehood goals should be addressed first.
In April, Saudi Arabia restored ties with Iran, a regional rival and Israel's arch-foe.
Saudis seek nuclear technology
Developing a civilian nuclear programme is reportedly among Riyadh's conditions for normalising ties with Israel, although neither Saudi nor US officials have publicly confirmed that.
However US officials have said in the past they would share nuclear power technology only if the agreement prevents enrichment of uranium or reprocessing of plutonium made in reactors – two avenues towards making nuclear weapons.
Riyadh has also leveraged its growing relationship with China as Washington has pushed back against some of its demands including lifting restrictions on arms sales and help with sensitive high-tech industries.
This comes as Riyadh will host a major Arab-Chinese investment conference, just two days after Blinken's visit.
Today in Jeddah, I thanked our diplomats and locally employed staff for their hard work to evacuate American citizens, mediate an end to the Sudan conflict, and support the Sudanese people’s democratic aspirations. Their dedication inspires us all. pic.twitter.com/vzOZ0tQaG6
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) June 7, 2023
Regional diplomacy and security
Meanwhile, only ours before departing for Saudi Arabia, Blinken said the United States had a "real national security interest" in advocating for normalising Saudi-Israeli ties but cautioned about the time frame.
"We have no illusions that this can be done quickly or easily," Blinken said.
MbS and Blinken also discussed Yemen and potential ways to resolve remaining issues, while Blinken thanked the crown prince for the kingdom's role in pushing for a ceasefire in Sudan and helping evacuate US citizens.
Human rights concerns
Blinken also reportedly raised human rights issues with MbS, both on a broad level and relating to specific cases – although which cases have not been revealed.
The kingdom has been pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into transforming and opening its economy to reduce dependence on crude oil.
The reforms have been accompanied by a raft of arrests of critics of MbS, as well as of businessmen, clerics and rights activists.
Most recently in March, Saudi authorities released a US citizen jailed for 19 years for posting criticism of the government on Twitter but he has remained banned from travelling.
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