Joe Biden says Saudi’s crown Prince is responsible for slain journalist

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United States President, Joe Biden says he told Saudi Arabia’s crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that he held him responsible for the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 during his meeting with the Saudi Royals.

Saudi Arabia’s top leaders say the Crown Prince, colloquially known as MBS, denied involvement.

The fist bump by President Joe Biden and the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been widely denounced. Especially since Biden once said the Kingdom should be a pariah on the world stage following Khashoggi’s murder.

Watch: Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia overshadowed by Khashoggi’s murder

Earlier in the week, Biden met with Israeli authorities as part of his Middle East tour to promote regional security, deepen Israel’s integration in the region and counter Iranian influence. Middle East and Islamic Politics Expert, Professor Nader Hashemi is Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge – Wolfson College & Center for Islamic Studies spoke to the SABC.

Watch: US President wraps up Israel visit and touches down in Saudi Arabi on Middle East tour 

Clean energy interests

But energy and security interests have prompted Biden and his advisors not to isolate the Gulf oil giant that has been strengthening ties with Russia and China. Saudi Arabia is expected to partner with the US on a far reaching clean energy initiative focused on green hydrogen, solar, carbon capture and other projects to accelerate the world’s clean energy transition and to help the US clean energy industry set global standards.

“…And first we had a good discussion on ensuring global energy security and adequate oil supplies to support global economic growth and that will begin shortly. I am doing all I can to increase the supply for the US which I expect to happen. The Saudi’s share that urgency and based on our discussions today, I expect we will see further steps in the coming weeks.” Biden explains.

Biden insists that he is not going to be silent on human rights issues. US intelligence indicated that the Crown Prince directly approved the murder of Khashoggi, a Saudi-insider turned critic. He says they had discussed human rights and the need for political reform and that he made it clear that the topic was vitally important to him and to the US.

Human rights violations

He reiterates, “With respect to the murder of khashoggi, I raised it at the top meeting, making it clear what I thought of it at the time and what I think of it now. And it was exactly, I was straightforward and direct in discussing it, I made my view crystal clear, I said it very straightforwardly for an American president to be silent on the issue of human rights is inconsistent with who we are and who I am.”

But one of the reasons why Biden went to Jeddah was his ambition to increase oil supplies to global markets from the Kingdom. New York University’s Centre for Global Affairs, Dr Carolyn Kissane says the United States understands that Saudi Arabia is and continues to be an incredibly important player in the global energy market and that Saudi Arabia leads the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

She adds, “They are in the driver’s seat, I think they would like to see more oil coming out of OPEC and you know Saudi Arabia, UAE are sort of the two countries that have some spare capacity. I don’t think enough spare capacity to really make a significant difference in terms of the price that Americans would be paying at the gas pumps.”

Jeddah Security Summit

It’s also been a busy week for the Crown Prince as he hosted the Jeddah security and development summit. The event was attended by the US, Gulf countries and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah EL- Sisi. Biden says the US will remain an active and engaged partner in the Middle East.

Biden adds that they are clear eyed on the challenges in the Middle East and where they have the greatest capacity to help drive positive outcomes.

“Our objectives are focused and achievable so we can target our resources, rebuild trust and deliver real results. And we will operate on the context for the Middle East as it is today, a region more united than it has been in years. The GCC is a prime example of that, former rivals re-established diplomatic and economic ties.” Biden explains.

Meanwhile, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman says Covid-19 and the geopolitical situation necessitate more unified efforts to support the fragile global economy.

“Unrealistic energy policies to decrease emissions by eliminating main energy sources without taking into consideration the effects of these policies on the society, economy, sustainability and global supply will lead in the upcoming year to inflation and increase in oil prices.” Prince Mohammed Bin Salman highlights.

Energy crisis

This is what he had to say on the energy crisis.

“The kingdom will do its role in this regard oil and gas production. As it announced increasing its production capacities to 13 million barrels per day, but The Kingdom will no longer be able to increase the production furthermore.” he adds

Lower fuel prices

The US is keen to see Saudi Arabia and its OPEC partners pump more oil to help bring down the high cost of fuel and ease inflation. The US President has stressed that they will not walk away from the Middle East and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran.