President Biden plans to call King Salman of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, before the public release of a potentially overwhelming intelligence report on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, said an informed source on the Axios call.
Why does it matter: The call, if it goes according to schedule, will be Biden’s first conversation as president with the Saudi king. Although they are likely to discuss a number of issues, the conversation will be influenced by the imminent release of the explosive report that is expected to involve one of the monarch’s sons.
- The report, a non-confidential document produced by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for release expected on Thursday, implies that Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman was involved in the murder and dismemberment of Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
- Bin Salman denied involvement, but accepted responsibility as the de facto leader of the kingdom.
Biden is moving to recalibrate the Saudi relationship after the Trump administration has made Riyadh preferences in the Persian Gulf a priority for U.S. foreign policy. The United States withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran and did not act for the assassination of Khashoggi, who was a columnist for the Washington Post.
- During the 2020 campaign, Biden accused the Crown Prince of ordering the assassination, emphasized that he would not sell weapons to the Saudis and promised “to make them the outcasts they are”.
- The Saudi government has recently sent signals that it is ready to cooperate in the civil war in Yemen and make improvements in human rights in an effort to avert a crisis with the new government, Barak Ravid de Axios said.
The intrigue: Biden will be speaking to the 85-year-old king, who technically is the head of government, instead of his son, known as MBS, the nation’s apparent heir.
- White House press secretary Jen Psaki predicted the differentiation last week when she said, “The president’s counterpart is King Salman.”
- “I hope that, at the right time, [Biden] would have a conversation with him “, referring to King Salman.
- A National Security Council spokesman did not confirm Biden’s scheduled call on Wednesday. The State Department has forwarded an inquiry into the White House connection.
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to MBS, who is also the country’s defense minister, last week.
The big picture: Avril Haines, the country’s top intelligence official, promised during his Senate confirmation hearing that the Biden government would release the intelligence report.
- “Yes, senator. In fact, we are going to follow the law, ”she answered a question about the report’s release.