In an “open, candid” discussion about various bilateral matters, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met early on June 7th, according to a US official.
Saudi Prince and Blinken talks in Jeddah: Amid strained relations caused by growing divisions over everything from Iran policy to regional security challenges, oil pricing, and human rights, the top US ambassador made a highly anticipated visit to Saudi Arabia late on Tuesday.
Washington also hopes to advance discussions over a potential ultimate normalization of relations between the kingdom and Israel while containing growing Russian and Chinese influence in the region.
According to a US official, Blinken and the crown prince—also known as MbS—who serves as the de facto ruler of the kingdom met for one hour and forty minutes and discussed a wide range of issues, including Israel, the situation in Yemen, upheaval in Sudan, and human rights.
The US official stated that there was “a good degree of convergence” on future efforts where we have similar interests while also acknowledging areas of disagreement.
The anticipation arises from expecting this topic to take precedence and receive significant attention during the discussion. Despite the reservations expressed by authorities, the focus on the potential normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel remains prominent.
Without going into greater detail, the US official stated, “They discussed the potential for normalizing relations with Israel and agreed to continued dialogue on the issue.”
Under the previous US administration of Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia, a Middle East giant and location of the two holiest shrines in Islam, approved its Gulf neighbors Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to establish diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020.
Saudi Arabia has not done the same, arguing that the objectives of the Palestinian state should come first. Saudi Arabia reestablished ties with Iran in April, a regional adversary and sworn enemy of Israel.
Developments in Saudi-Israeli Relations and US-Saudi Talks on Nuclear Projects, Human Rights, and Economic Reforms
According to a source involved in the conversations, one of Riyadh’s requirements for normalizing relations with Israel is developing a civilian nuclear project. This confirms a March article from the New York Times. Officials from the US or Saudi Arabia have not made that publicly known.
Blinken said the United States has “a real national security interest” in promoting the normalization of Saudi-Israeli relations but expressed caution about the timeline in a speech hours before leaving for Saudi Arabia.
“We have no illusions that this can be done quickly or simply,” stated Blinken.
Blinken commended the crown prince for the kingdom’s support in advocating for peace in Sudan and assisting with evacuating US citizens; at the same time, MbS and Blinken also addressed Yemen and potential solutions to outstanding concerns.
The US official claimed Blinken also raised human rights concerns with MbS, generally and about particular incidents, but he did not specify which cases.
The kingdom has invested hundreds of billions of dollars in restructuring and opening up its economy to lessen its reliance on crude oil. The reforms have accompanied a wave of arrests of MbS critics, business people, priests, and rights campaigners.
In March, Saudi officials actively freed a US citizen imprisoned for 19 years for criticizing the government on Twitter. However, they continued to prohibit him from traveling.