Saudi prince snubbed
New boss puts Trump’s buddy on hold
WASHINGTON: The White House has revealed that US President Joe Biden’s first phone call to the Saudi royal family will be to the king and not to the younger de facto leader crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Mr Biden is using telephone diplomacy to underline his break with Donald Trump’s Middle East policies.
Although he has reached out to US allies in every corner of the world since his January 20 inauguration, including Australia, the President has deliberately kept Israeli and Saudi leaders waiting.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said when Mr Biden does reach out to the Saudis, it won’t be to the crown prince, known as MBS, who had a close relationship with the Trump administration.
“We’ve made clear from the beginning that we’re going to recalibrate our relationship with Saudi Arabia,” she said.
“Part of that is going back to engagement counterpartto-counterpart – the President’s counterpart is King Salman.”
Ms Psaki once again made clear the Biden administration’s lack of a rush in getting hold of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, another of Mr Trump’s close allies.
“His first call with a leader in the region will be Prime Minister Netanyahu,” she said. “I don’t have an exact date for you but it is soon.”
Ms Psaki said any personal chill did not reflect a shift in US commitment to the “important strategic security relationship” with Israel and the “critical self-defence needs” of Saudi Arabia.
Nikki Haley, Mr Trump’s former ambassador to the UN, has accused the Biden administration of “snubbing” Israel. Former State Department analyst Aaron David Miller said: “Biden sends a welcome and unmistakeable signal to Saudi Arabia recalibrating contacts and indirectly slapping down MBS.
“The days of the MBS direct channel to the White House seem to be over – for now.”
Two weeks after he was sworn in, Mr Biden announced an end to US backing for Saudi offensive operations in Yemen’s longstanding war, which he said had created a “humanitarian catastrophe”. Mr Biden’s Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has already spoken with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, and raised the issue of human rights in the kingdom.
Mr Trump was accused by critics of having a low regard for human rights in his support for Saudi leaders, especially the crown prince.
When Congress deemed MBS responsible for the murder of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Mr Trump publicly reiterated his support for the prince.