WASHINGTON, June 18 (AFP): President Joe Biden distanced himself Friday from an upcoming encounter with controversial Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman, saying the reason for his trip to the oil-rich nation was not to meet the crown prince.
Biden is attending a regional Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Saudi Arabia in mid-July. The White House says he will meet the formal leader, King Salman, but also his team, notably de facto leader Prince Mohammed, commonly known as MBS.
US intelligence blames MBS for the horrific 2018 murder of Saudi-born critic Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote for The Washington Post.
Asked by reporters about how he would handle the subject when he meets MBS, Biden said, "the same way I've been handling it. I'm not going to meet with-I'm not going to meet with MBS."
"I'm going to an international meeting and he's going to be a part of it, just like there were people part of the discussion today," Biden said, referring to an international climate summit he hosted earlier Friday.
Biden downplays meeting with Saudi prince
FE Team | Published: June 18, 2022 21:24:14
Biden downplays meeting with Saudi prince
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