biden: Saudi prince told Biden that U.S. has made mistakes too, Saudi official says

Saudi Arabia -Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman informed President Joe Biden that Saudi Arabia had acted to forestall a repeat of errors just like the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and that the USA had additionally made errors, together with in Iraq, a Saudi official stated.

Biden stated on Friday he informed Prince Mohammed he held him liable for the homicide of the Washington Submit journalist Khashoggi, shortly after exchanging a fist bump with the dominion’s de facto ruler.

“The dominion has taken all measures to forestall related errors sooner or later,” the crown prince was quoted as telling Biden.

The crown prince has denied accountability for the Khashoggi killing.

The Saudi official, in a press release despatched to Reuters about Friday’s dialog between the 2 leaders, stated the crown prince stated that attempting to impose sure values by drive on different international locations may backfire.

Biden, who landed in Saudi Arabia on Friday in his first Center East journey as president, holds a summit on Saturday with six Gulf states and Egypt, Jordan and Iraq whereas downplaying his assembly with Prince Mohammed. That encounter has drawn criticism at house over human rights abuses.

Biden had promised to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” on the worldwide stage over the 2018 homicide of Khashoggi, however finally determined U.S. pursuits dictated enhancing relations with the world’s high oil exporter and Arab powerhouse.

“In the identical yr, related regrettable incidents happened and different journalists had been killed in different elements around the globe,” the crown prince stated. “The USA additionally made a variety of errors just like the incident of Abu Ghraib jail in Iraq and others.”

Prince Mohammed, often known as MbS, additionally raised the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh throughout an Israeli raid within the West Financial institution.

All international locations around the globe, particularly the USA and the dominion, share values that they agree on and have others that they disagree on, the assertion quoted MbS as saying.

“Nonetheless attempting to impose these values by drive may have the alternative impact because it occurred in Iraq and Afghanistan the place the U.S. was unsuccessful,” the assertion stated.

Washington has softened its stance on Saudi Arabia since Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this yr, triggering one of many world’s worst vitality provide crises.

Saudi Minister of State for Overseas Affairs Adel al-Jubeir informed reporters the 2 international locations have moved on.