US President Joe Biden left Saudi Arabia on Saturday with some achievements, including mending ties with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, amid doubts “about the value of the trip”.
Biden’s four-day trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia is aimed at reviving relations with the “Arab oil giant of the Persian Gulf”, demonstrating US commitment to the region and countering the growing influence of Iran, Russia and China.
A U.S. intelligence report confirmed that the U.S. president was careful during his trip not to appear as if he was “hugging” the crown prince, who was implicated in the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at his country’s consulate in Istanbul. by the Saudi authorities
Biden said he had spoken to the Saudi crown prince about the crime, but Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Biden that “the United States made mistakes, too.”
Biden left the Middle East without receiving a Saudi commitment to increase oil production or support for Washington’s efforts to form a regional security alliance that includes Israel.
After the split in the US administration over the trip to Saudi Arabia, Washington decided to maintain strategic relations with the kingdom, with the aim of achieving US interests and helping both sides turn the page on what happened before.
Riyadh took several preliminary steps ahead of the trip, including supporting the continuation of the ceasefire in Yemen and helping accelerate the increase in oil production agreed to by the OPEC+ alliance.
Bruce Riddle, of the Brookings Institution, said: “The summit of nine Arab leaders is a clear achievement, in addition to supporting the ceasefire in Yemen.”
Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia came in hopes of persuading Riyadh to “increase oil production,” but “the kingdom stuck to its strategy of needing to work within the framework of the OPEC+ alliance, which also includes Russia, and did not act unilaterally.” “
Rising fuel prices in the U.S. have pushed up inflation, leading to a drop in poll numbers in favor of Biden, as Congress heads to a crucial election in November.
White House officials believe these diplomatic efforts will help shape negotiations at the next meeting of OPEC+ members.
Ben Cahill, an energy expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said: “All eyes are on the OPEC+ meeting on August 3. If Saudi Arabia and the UAE want to increase production, they will do it through this meeting. “
He added: “We have to consider the decrease in demand for oil. I am not sure that these countries are convinced that the market needs more crude oil supply.”
Biden’s trip saw a slight improvement in relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel after “Riyadh announced the opening of its airspace to all airlines, including Israeli planes.”
There was also a deal on the island of Tiran, which Cairo ceded to Riyadh in 2017, where the United States will withdraw an international peacekeeping force.
The US and Israel hope the moves will help create a move “toward greater integration of Israel into the region,” including Saudi Arabia.
Emphasizing that these moves are “not a prelude to other steps”, the Saudi Foreign Minister noted: “Riyadh is not a party to any discussion about the defense alliance between the Persian Gulf and Israel to confront Iran.”
On Thursday, the United States and Israel signed a statement emphasizing efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, while efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal are underway.
Saudi Arabia and Israel were not happy with the 2015 nuclear deal signed by former US President Barack Obama’s administration and scrapped by former US President Donald Trump.
In his recent statements, Biden said that “the United States is ready to use force as a last resort if negotiations fail and Iran’s nuclear program continues.”
Source: Lebanon Debate
