“The Crown Prince responded to President Biden’s remarks about… Khashoggi after being quite clear – that this crime, while regrettable and abhorrent, is something the kingdom takes very seriously. (and) acted in a way that was satisfied with his position,” bin Farhan said. “These are problems, mistakes happen in any country, including America. The crown prince pointed out that the US has made its own mistakes and has taken the necessary action to hold those responsible and address these mistakes like the kingdom did. “
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir echoed this view in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer shortly after the conclusion of the meeting, which Jubeir was part of.
“We’ve investigated, punished and made sure this doesn’t happen again,” Jubeir said when asked about Khashoggi’s murder. “This is what countries do. This is what the US did when it made the mistake of Abu Ghraib.”
Abu Akleh is a well-known name in the Arab world, having spent decades covering the suffering of Palestinians under Israeli occupation. Footage obtained by CNN – corroborated by testimony from eight witnesses, an audio forensics analyst and an explosives expert – suggests Abu Akleh, who was wearing a helmet and protective vest in blue marked “Press” at the time she was killed, was shot dead in a targeted attack by Israeli forces.
On the West Coast on Friday, Mr. Biden said the US was determined to “fully and transparently account” for the journalist’s killing.
Biden called Abu Akleh’s death a “huge loss” as he stood with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority in Bethlehem.
“I hope that her legacy … will inspire more young people to continue her work of reporting the truth and telling stories that are often overlooked,” Biden said.
Palestinian officials and members of the Abu Akleh family have criticized the US investigation and are urging the US to do more to hold Israel accountable for the killing.
Khashoggi raised at the beginning of the Biden-MBS . meeting
In a quickly arranged speech after Biden’s bilateral talks with MBS, the president said he raised the Khashoggi murder at the start of the meeting.
“Regarding the murder of Khashoggi, I brought it up at the top of the meeting, stating clearly what I thought about it at the time and what I think about it now,” Biden told reporters. “I’m frank and direct when I discuss it. I’ve made my point.”
There was also a larger discussion of values, said bin Farhan.
“The Crown Prince pointed out to President Biden that we are the kingdom, respecting human rights is a core value of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia based on our Islamic beliefs and Arab heritage. And It’s absolutely important that values be spread through dialogue,” he said. “Trying to impose your values on others won’t work. It will cause you to react negatively. … The right way to try and put your values forward is for the world. The world sees that you are first and foremost following those values, that you are respecting your own values.”
“Ultimately, you can’t impose your values by force. … The Crown Prince has been pretty clear with President Biden, and we have our own values and those values won’t match. 100% aligned with American values because we are very, very proud of our traditions, our values, our faith,” added bin Farhan.
But the discussion of human rights appears to have been narrowed down to broader discussions of energy security, regional stability, trade and investment, according to multiple officials. Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the war in Yemen were also said to have been the main topics of discussion.
“Those responsible (for Khashoggi’s murder) have been investigated and faced with the law and are paying the price for their crimes,” Jubeir said on CNN of the discussion. “The conversation continued in the direction of the official discussion.”
Senior administration officials on Saturday defended Biden’s decision to meet with MBS face-to-face, despite fierce opposition and criticism, saying it would “go backwards if the president doesn’t come to the area.” and will fail if he doesn’t. ‘no and not willing to sit back and raise human rights concerns with foreign leaders around the world.”
“It’s hard to say that values will be an important part of your foreign policy and human rights are important to us as a country and certainly as a political party. authority and then didn’t go abroad and didn’t talk to (leaders) candidly, said a senior administration official.
Biden arrives in Jeddah looking for a solution to one of his top political problems back home – sky-high gas prices – as diplomacy with Saudi Arabia in the Middle East is seen as one of the few. the path he could take to lower the price. stress for millions of Americans.
But White House officials say the President will not return to Washington on Saturday with an apparent increase in oil production. The expectation is that there will be an increase in the coming months – made against the backdrop of increased production levels in the OPEC + cartel given at the August meeting.
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