US President Biden says he has ‘not yet’ decided on Saudi trip

• Biden was thought to be preparing a trip to Saudi Arabia, as well as Europe and Israel.
• President Donald Trump considers Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a “pariah”.
• The Saudi government has denied the crown prince’s involvement in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A week after hinting at a possible trip to Saudi Arabia, US President Joe Biden indicated he had “not yet” made up his mind.

Biden was thought to be preparing a trip to Saudi Arabia, as well as a trip to Europe and Israel, in late June, according to sources. According to the White House, President Donald Trump considers Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to be a “pariah” for his alleged complicity in the killing of a political opponent, Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in Turkey in 2018.
The Saudi government has denied the crown prince’s involvement.

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“We’ll see,” Biden said later in Albuquerque, New Mexico, when asked if he would use a future trip to the Middle East to clinch a deal to improve Saudi-Israeli relations.

Any planned trip to Saudi Arabia would most likely be focused at improving relations with the kingdom at a time when Biden is attempting to reduce gasoline prices in the US.

On Friday, a White House official stated that the US would not overlook conduct that occurred prior to Biden’s election, but that “it was also vital to refocus – but not rupture – relations with Saudi Arabia,” stressing the country’s long history as a critical partner of the US.

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