Saudi prince told Biden that U.S. has made mistakes too, Saudi minister says

By Aziz El Yaakoubi

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) -Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman instructed President Joe Biden that Saudi Arabia had acted to forestall a repeat of errors just like the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and that the US had additionally made errors, together with in Iraq, a Saudi minister mentioned.

Biden mentioned on Friday he instructed Prince Mohammed he held him answerable for the 2018 homicide of Washington Publish journalist Khashoggi on the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, shortly after exchanging a fist bump with the dominion’s de facto ruler.

“The President raised the difficulty… And the crown prince responded that this was a painful episode for Saudi Arabia and that it was a horrible mistake,” the dominion’s Minister of State for Overseas Affairs Adel al-Jubeir mentioned.

Those that have been accused have been delivered to trial and being punished with jail phrases, he mentioned.

U.S. intelligence businesses imagine the crown prince ordered Khashoggi’s killing, which he denies.

Jubeir, speaking to Reuters about Friday’s dialog between the 2 leaders, mentioned the crown prince had made the case that attempting to impose values by power on different international locations may backfire.

“It has not labored when the U.S. tried to impose values on Afghanistan and Iraq. In actual fact, it backfired. It doesn’t work when folks attempt to impose values by power on different international locations,” Jubeir quoted the prince, often known as MbS, as telling Biden.

“Nations have completely different values and people values ought to be revered,” MbS instructed Biden.

The change highlighted the tensions which have weighed on the connection between Washington and Riyadh, its closest Arab ally, over a number of points, together with Khashoggi, excessive oil costs and the Yemen conflict.

Biden, who landed in Saudi Arabia on Friday in his first Center East journey as president, held a summit on Saturday with six Gulf states and Egypt, Jordan and Iraq whereas downplaying his assembly with Prince Mohammed. That encounter has drawn criticism at residence over human rights abuses.

Biden had promised to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” on the worldwide stage over the 2018 homicide of Khashoggi, however finally determined U.S. pursuits dictated enhancing relations with the world’s prime oil exporter and Arab powerhouse.

After the summit, the leaders gathered for a bunch image at which Biden stored his distance from Prince Mohammed.

“His Royal Highness talked about to the President that errors like this occur in different international locations and we noticed a mistake like this being dedicated by the US in Abu Ghraib (jail in Iraq),” Jubeir mentioned.

Prince Mohammed additionally raised the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh throughout an Israeli raid within the West Financial institution.

Abu Akleh, who labored for the Al Jazeera community, was shot within the head on Might 11 whereas reporting on an Israeli raid within the occupied West Financial institution metropolis of Jenin.

Palestinians imagine she was killed intentionally by Israeli troops. Israel denies its troopers shot her on goal, and say she could have been killed both by errant military fireplace or a shot fired by a Palestinian gunman.

Jubeir rejected the accusation that Saudi Arabia has tons of of political prisoners.

“That is completely not appropriate. We now have prisoners in Saudi Arabia who’ve dedicated crimes and who have been put to trial by our courts and have been discovered responsible,” he mentioned.

“The notion that they’d be described as political prisoners is ridiculous,” he added.

Washington has softened its stance on Saudi Arabia since Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this yr, triggering one of many world’s worst power provide crises.

(Extra reporting by Jarrett ReshowWriting by Ghaida GhantousEditing by Mark Potter, Jane Merriman and Nick Macfie)