BIDEN DELAYS POSSIBLE TRIP TO SAUDI ARABIA

Mon 06 June 2022:

According to a Saudi lawmaker, US President Joe Biden has postponed his visit to Saudi Arabia until Washington meets Riyadh’s demands.

“The visit was delayed until [the US] meets the Saudi demands,” Ibrahim al-Nahhas, a member of the Shura Council, said in a TV interview.

“[It was delayed] until arrangements are completed in a way that serves the interests of the kingdom and the region,” he added.

“This is why we are heading to work with those who are able to work for the common interests and for the two peoples,” Al-Nahhas said.

US media earlier said that Biden’s scheduled visit this month to Riyadh and Israel was postponed until July, without giving a reason for the delay.

On Friday, President Biden acknowledged that he plans to visit Saudi Arabia soon but indicated that the trip might not take place in June.

“I have been engaged in trying to work with how we can bring more stability and peace to the Middle East,” he said on Friday. “There is a possibility that I would … meet both the Israelis and some Arab countries at the time, including, I expect, Saudi Arabia.”

But he also said that he had “no direct plans at the moment” and was looking at various possibilities. When journalists contacted the White House for clarification, they were told the visit might happen in July, not June as speculated. It would be Biden’s first trip to the region since he came to office in January last year.

Saudi-US relations have strained in recent months over several issues, including the Iranian nuclear file and the conflict in Yemen.

The past few weeks, however, saw officials from both countries meeting together to discuss topics of common interest, including Biden’s first visit to Saudi Arabia as president.

Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing states agreed to boost their output by 648,000 barrels per day in July and to a similar increase in August. But Washington wants a greater increase to ease the impact of its sanctions on Russian oil, imposed after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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