US President Donald Trump welcomed Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to the White House Tuesday for the first time since US intelligence concluded that the prince had ordered the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The meeting was heavy on pomp and flattery, and when a reporter asked about the murder, Trump brushed it off, reports The New York Times.
President Trump, speaking about Khashoggi, said, “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him.”
“Things happened, but he knew nothing about it, and we can leave it at that,” he added.
He maintained that the crown prince was unaware of the killing and sharply criticised ABC News reporter Mary Bruce for raising the question.
Vivian Nereim, our Gulf bureau chief who has followed the crown prince for ten years, observed that she was “struck by how comfortable and confident he seemed in the Oval Office.” Vivian further said, “It was clear that he felt he was among friends.”
Bin Salman said it had been “painful” to hear about Khashoggi’s death but that his government “did all the right steps of investigation”.
“We’ve improved our system to be sure that nothing happened like that. And it’s painful and it’s a huge mistake,” he told reporters.
Trump, who chided the reporter who asked the Khashoggi question “to embarrass our guest,” also praised the crown prince for doing an “incredible” job on human rights, but did not elaborate, Reuters reports.
Trump’s treatment of bin Salman prompted a rebuke from Khashoggi’s widow. “Nothing (can) justify just a horrible crime … because he’s controversial or he’s unliked by someone,” Hanan Elatr Khashoggi told Reuters in an interview, adding that she wished Trump would meet with her so she could introduce him to the “real Jamal.”
Bin Salman has been strongly criticized by human rights groups not only for the Khashoggi killing but for his crackdown on dissent at home. But the crown prince has also unleashed major social reforms that have swept away some austere social codes.
Trump also announced his plan to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, despite objections from the Pentagon. The president, whose family holds significant business ties with the kingdom, asserted that he faced no conflict of interest.
Reuters also reported that the sale of the stealth fighter jets to the kingdom, which has requested to buy 48 of the advanced aircraft, would mark the first US sale of the advanced fighter jets to Riyadh, a significant policy shift.
The deal could alter the military balance in the Middle East and test Washington’s definition of maintaining what the US has termed Israel’s “qualitative military edge.” Until now, Israel has been the only country in the Middle East to have the F-35.
The two countries also signed a joint declaration on the completion of negotiations on civil nuclear energy cooperation, which the White House said would build the legal foundation for a long-term nuclear energy partnership, reports Reuters.
Bin Salman has been seeking a deal to unlock access to U.S. nuclear technology and help Saudi Arabia level up with the UAE and traditional regional foe Iran. But progress on such a nuclear pact has been difficult because the Saudis have resisted a US stipulation that would rule out enriching uranium or reprocessing spent fuel – both potential paths to a bomb.
