White House: Biden to meet with Saudi crown prince next month

The White House says during a trip to West Asia in July US President Joe Biden will see Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who was accused by American intelligence of ordering the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A team of Saudi operatives murdered Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist, in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2, 2018.

The White House said in a statement on Tuesday Biden is planning to go ahead with his visit to Saudi Arabia next month despite concerns about human rights by Saudi leaders.

The White House said Biden will travel to West Asia from July 13 to July 16, starting in Occupied Palestine and the West Bank before landing in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, according to Reuters.

Biden, who once called for Saudi Arabia to be made a pariah, is likely to meet with regional leaders in Saudi Arabia as part of a summit of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council, according to the White House.

A senior US official said earlier that Biden would meet with Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, but the White House statement did not provide any details of the meeting.

Asked about the omission, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, "Yes, we can expect the president to see the crown prince."

Biden’s visit to the kingdom comes as he is trying to find ways to lower US gasoline prices. The group of oil-producing nations called OPEC+, led by Saudi Arabia, recently agreed to increase oil production to help bring down prices.

The price for a gallon has doubled since Biden took office in January last year, but that same gallon costs $5 on Tuesday, according to data from the non-profit American Automobile Association (AAA). The association said the average gallon of gas cost only $2.39 during the first week of Biden’s presidency.

The gasoline prices are a problem for Biden and his fellow Democrats ahead of the November midterm congressional elections.

ME