Biden, Saudi king talk ahead of expected report blaming crown prince for Khashoggi murder

[DonViejo]

Source: NBC News


Missing from a White House readout of the call was any mention of the expected release of a U.S. intelligence report on the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

Feb. 26, 2021, 10:06 AM EST

By Saphora Smith

President Joe Biden spoke with King Salman of Saudi Arabia on Thursday, ahead of the highly anticipated release of a U.S. intelligence report on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The leaders discussed regional security and “affirmed the historic nature of the relationship,” according to a White House readout of the call. Biden also “noted positively” the recent release of Loujain al-Hathloul, a Saudi women's rights activist who had been imprisoned for nearly three years, it said.

Notably missing from the readout was any mention of the expected release of a U.S. intelligence report that concludes that King Salman’s son and heir, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, approved the killing of Khashoggi on Oct. 2, 2018, in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Kashoggi was a columnist for The Washington Post and a permanent resident of the U.S. His remains have never been found.



Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/biden-saudi-king-talk-ahead-expected-report-blaming-crown-prince-n1258924

[riversedge]

1. more...

.........Saudi Arabia, seen as a leader in the Sunni Arab world, has long been an important American ally in the Middle East, cooperating on counterterrorism, acting as a bulwark against Iran and presiding over crucial oil reserves.

As a presidential candidate however, Biden made clear that he planned to "reassess" Washington’s relationship with Riyadh and said he would make the Saudis “the pariah that they are.”


His administration paused big-ticket arms sales to Saudi Arabia and ended U.S. support for the grinding Saudi-led war in Yemen, which has helped trigger what many consider the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

In the call with King Salman, Biden discussed the renewed diplomatic efforts to end the Yemen conflict and the U.S. commitment to help Saudi Arabia defend its territory as it faces attacks against Iranian-aligned groups, according to the White House readout.......................

[Bayard]

2. I thought Khashoggi was to be a major topic?