network saidCNNNews, Thursday, that US President Joe Biden may meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for the first time next month, at the earliest.
The network added, quoting multiple sources, that the meeting will come after months of coolness in relations between the two countries, noting that the meeting represents a transformation for Biden, who said earlier that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a “pariah” country that does not have “social values.”
Current and former US officials said that Biden administration officials are in talks with the Saudis about arranging a possible personal meeting during the US president’s foreign trip scheduled for next month.
The sources indicated that Saudi Arabia currently holds the presidency of the Gulf Cooperation Council, so any meeting between Biden and Mohammed bin Salman is likely to coincide with the council meeting in Riyadh.
The network quoted a former US official familiar with the discussions as saying that “you have to depend on something like this happening, it’s only about time, not whether the meeting will happen or not.”
The network indicated that Saudi officials did not respond to its request to comment on this information.
According to the network, the meeting between American and Saudi leaders was considered a routine matter, but it now represents a major shift due to the recent tensions in their relations.
The meeting is also likely to raise some controversy within the United States for Biden, who has strongly criticized the Saudis’ human rights record, their war in Yemen and the role the Saudi government played in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to the network.
Talk of a rapprochement with the Saudis, the world’s largest crude oil exporter, comes as gasoline prices continue to rise in the United States.
Biden has not communicated directly with Mohammed bin Salman, who is considered the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, since taking office in January 2021, opting instead to speak directly with Mohammed bin Salman’s father, 86-year-old King Salman.
US officials said Biden opposed dealing with Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a matter of principle because of his role in the Khashoggi murder.
Washington imposed sanctions on Saudi officials believed to have been part of the Khashoggi assassination team, but it did not go beyond that and punished Mohammed bin Salman himself.
Officials said Biden believes that taking action directly against the prince could cause irreparable damage to an important counterterrorism and counter-Iran relationship.
Officials said Biden himself has remained cautious about how he engages with Saudi Arabia, hoping to avoid a complete breakdown in relations while maintaining his commitment to promoting democracy abroad.
The network revealed that the coordinator for Middle East and North Africa affairs at the US National Security Council Brett McGurk and the State Department’s adviser on global energy security, Amos Hochstein, worked behind the scenes to reform the relationship with Saudi Arabia.
She added that the two men visited Saudi Arabia four times since last December, a senior official said, most recently to Riyadh in February where they met with Mohammed bin Salman directly in an attempt to show good diplomatic intentions and lay the groundwork for a possible meeting between Biden and the crown prince.
She said discussions had become more urgent over the past two months, as the United States tried to isolate Russia globally over its invasion of Ukraine.
And last Tuesday, the younger brother of Mohammed bin Salman, Khalid bin Salman, visited Washington and met with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Hochstein and other officials.
It is also hoped that Khalid bin Salman will participate in the meeting of the Joint Strategic Planning Committee between the United States and Saudi Arabia this week at the Pentagon.