Unter Druck der Erdölpreise will Biden dem saudischen «Paria» die Hand reichen

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Der amerikanische Präsident wollte Saudiarabien für den Mord an Jamal Khashoggi bestrafen. Gemäss Medienberichten reist Biden nun aber nach Riad, um dort auch Kronprinz Mohammed bin Salman zu treffen, den mutmasslichen Drahtzieher des Verbrechens.

Ein Bild aus harmonischeren Zeiten: Der amerikanische Verteidigungsminister Jim Mattis empfängt den saudischen Kronprinzen Mohammed bin Salman im Pentagon im März 2018. | Alex Wong / Getty
Offiziell ist der Besuch nicht angekündigt. Aber übereinstimmende Medienberichte, die sich auf Quellen im Weissen Haus berufen, gehen von einem baldigen Besuch des amerikanischen Präsidenten Joe Biden in Saudiarabien aus. «Biden hat entschieden, diesen Monat nach Riad zu reisen, um die Beziehungen mit dem erdölreichen Königreich wieder herzustellen. In einer Zeit, in der er die Benzinpreise zu Hause senken und Russland international isolieren möchte», schrieb die «New York Times» am Donnerstag.

Voraussichtlich wird Biden Ende Juni nach einer Visite in Israel weiter nach Riad fliegen. Dort soll er neben der saudischen Führung auch die Staatschefs anderer arabischer Länder treffen: darunter Ägypten, die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate, der Irak und Jordanien. Der brisanteste Handschlag dürfte dabei jener mit dem saudischen Kronprinzen Mohammed bin Salman sein. Der 36-jährige Sohn des betagten Königs Salman hält praktisch alle Zügel der Macht in dem Wüstenland in seinen Händen. Die vermutlich von ihm 2018 in Auftrag gegebene Ermordung des regimekritischen Journalisten Jamal Khashoggi im saudischen Konsulat in Istanbul machte ihn jedoch vor allem im Westen zu einem geächteten Mann. » | Christian Weisflog, Washington | Samstag, 4. Juni 2022

Saudis Give Billions to Jared Kushner; Turkey Suspends Trial of Saudis Accused of Killing Khashoggi

Apr 12, 2022 • We speak with Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), about Turkey's recent decision to suspend the trial of 26 Saudi men accused of killing journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in 2018. DAWN sued Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his alleged conspirators in the murder. Whitson says Turkey's move to turn over the case to prosecutors in Saudi Arabia shows "the Turkish government has decided that good relations — and in particular investment and trade with Saudi Arabia — is more important than pursuing justice for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi on Turkish soil." We also ask Whitson about news that a fund led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has invested $2 billion in Jared Kushner's new private equity firm just years after Kushner helped push forward a $110 billion weapons sale to Saudi Arabia while his father-in-law was in office. She says the investment "exposes the corruption and lack of accountability in both the American system and the Saudi system."

Saudi Arabia and UAE Refuse to Take Biden’s Calls on Oil

After declining to speak to Biden, Mohammed bin Salman took a call from President Putin SERGIO MORAES/REUTERS
THE TIMES: Joe Biden has been rebuffed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in his attempts to persuade them to produce more oil in the wake of a US ban on Russian imports.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the UAE’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan both declined requests to speak to the US president in recent weeks, officials told The Wall Street Journal, amid frosty relations with his administration.

After declining to speak to Biden, both rulers took calls from President Putin of Russia last week. They both also spoke to President Zelensky of Ukraine and a Saudi official said the US had requested that MBS, as the Saudi prince is known, mediate in the conflict. » | David Charter, Washington | Charles Bremner, Paris | Thursday, March 10, 2022

Enjoy unlimited digital access, free for one month. Subscription offers here.

Der saudische Bösewicht lässt Biden zappeln

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Der amerikanische Präsident nannte Saudiarabien im Wahlkampf einen «Paria». Um die Erdölpreise trotz harten Sanktionen gegen Russland zu zügeln, braucht er nun aber Riads Hilfe. Bidens Berater erwägen deshalb einen Besuch im Wüstenstaat.

Der saudische Kronprinz Mohammed bin Salman scheint nun die Gunst der Stunde nutzen zu wollen. | Leon Neal / Getty
Das Ende der Sowjetunion hat verschiedene Gründe. Eine wichtige Ursache war ein starker Zerfall der Erdölpreise Mitte der achtziger Jahre, nachdem Saudiarabien seine Produktion stark erhöht hatte. Moskau fehlte danach schlicht das Geld, um sein Imperium aufrechtzuerhalten. Die damalige amerikanische Regierung unter Präsident Reagan soll in Riad für diesen Schritt geworben haben, um nicht nur die Sowjetunion, sondern auch Iran zu schwächen.

Fast vier Jahrzehnte später wäre die saudische «Erdölwaffe» für die USA auch im Kampf mit Putins Russland ein wirksames Mittel. Dies umso mehr, als der Druck auf Präsident Joe Biden steigt, die Sanktionen gegen Russland vom Finanzsektor auch auf den Export von Erdöl und Erdgas auszuweiten. «Russland verdient keinen Cent mehr von den USA», twitterte der republikanische Minderheitsführer im Repräsentantenhaus, Kevin McCarthy, am Sonntag. Gleichzeitig kritisieren die Republikaner Biden dafür, die eigene Erdölindustrie durch Umweltauflagen einzuschränken. «Anstatt mehr einheimisches Erdöl zu produzieren, bevorzugt diese Regierung, mehr von Ländern wie Iran oder Venezuela zu kaufen», twitterte der Abgeordnete Pat Fallon. Washington schickt Delegation nach Venezuela » | Christian Weisflog, Washington | Dienstag, 8. März 2022

Drei Jahre nach dem Khashoggi-Mord sieht die Welt den saudischen Kronprinzen wieder als Geschäftspartner

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Die Saudi haben Khashoggi ermordet und führen einen grausamen Krieg in Jemen. Joe Biden hatte sie im Wahlkampf deshalb als Parias bezeichnet. Heute verkauft er Riad Waffen. Anmerkungen zu einem bemerkenswerten diplomatischen Comeback.

Der saudisch Kronprinz Mohammed bin Salman und der französiche Präsident Emmanuel Macron vor dem Élysée-Palast in Paris. | Christophe Ena / AP
Am 2. Oktober 2018 wurde Jamal Khashoggi auf dem saudischen Konsulat in Istanbul erstickt, zerstückelt und dann so gründlich beseitigt, dass bis heute jede Spur von ihm fehlt. Zwei Versionen zirkulieren seither. Die Türken, die CIA und die Briten sagen, Khashoggi sei vorsätzlich ermordet worden, den Auftrag habe höchstwahrscheinlich der Kronprinz Mohammed bin Salman gegeben. Die Saudi geben den Mord zu, sagen aber, er sei nicht von oben befohlen worden, schon gar nicht vom Kronprinzen.

Die Glaubwürdigkeit der saudischen Aussagen tendiert gegen null, selbst eingefleischte Feinde Amerikas verlachen sie. Es gab anfangs denn auch so etwas wie moralische Entrüstung, vor allem von amerikanischer Seite. Nicht von Donald Trump, der damals regierte. Trump verlangte «Transparenz», aber er wies die CIA-Version zurück und verteidigte den Kronprinzen. Doch Joe Biden zeigte sich empört. Als Präsident werde er dafür sorgen, dass Amerika seine Prinzipien nicht mehr «an der Garderobe abgebe, nur um Öl zu kaufen oder Waffen zu verkaufen», sagte der Demokrat als Präsidentschaftsaspirant. Im November 2019, ein gutes Jahr nach dem Mord, bezeichnete Biden Saudiarabien als Paria-Staat, den man büssen lassen müsse für die Ermordung Khashoggis. Amerika dürfe zudem den Saudi keine Waffen mehr verkaufen, die im Krieg in Jemen eingesetzt werden könnten. » | Ulrich Schmid, Tel Aviv | Montag, 13. Dezember 2021

Le Golfe persique à l’heure de la détente

Mohammed Ben Salman est reçu par le sultan d’Oman Haïtham BenTariq, à son arrivée à Muscat, mardi. SAUDI PRESS AGENCY/VIA REUTERS
LE FIGARO : Guidés par leurs intérêts économiques, l’Arabie saoudite et ses voisins s’efforcent de tourner la page de leurs disputes.

Après des années de tensions, l’heure est à la détente entre monarchies du Golfe, qui doivent se réunir en sommet à la mi-décembre en Arabie saoudite. Ces derniers jours, une série de visites entre leaders qui entretenaient des relations difficiles, voire même parfois hostiles, ont eu lieu dans plusieurs capitales de la péninsule arabique.

La plus marquante est celle qu’a entamée mercredi au Qatar, le prince héritier saoudien, Mohammed Ben Salman, la première depuis que l’homme fort de l’Arabie surnommé MBS a pris les rênes du royaume. » | Par Georges Malbrunot | mercredi 8 décembre 2021

Réservé aux abonnés

À LIRE AUSSI :

Arabie: sous la pression, MBS tend la main à l’ennemi iranien : DÉCRYPTAGE - Anticipant un accord entre Washington et Téhéran, le prince héritier cautionne des pourparlers secrets en Irak avec Téhéran. »

Emmanuel Macron Accused of Trying to ‘Rehabilitate’ Mohammed bin Salman

THE GUARDIAN: Human rights groups criticise French president’s planned meeting with crown prince in Saudi Arabia

The meeting on Saturday will mark the first one-on-one between the crown prince and a major western leader since the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi. Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters
Human rights groups have criticised Emmanuel Macron’s planned meeting with Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, which will mark the first one-on-one public meeting of a major western leader with the crown prince since the state-sponsored assassination of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

For three years since the 2018 murder, western heads of state have avoided direct one-on-one meetings with the crown prince in the kingdom. The US president, Joe Biden, has even avoided speaking to the future king in what has widely been seen as an attempt to avoid conferring legitimacy on the de facto ruler.

But Macron’s move suggests at least one major western leader is ready to formally re-establish ties to the crown prince directly, less than a year after US intelligence agencies released a report stating they believed that Prince Mohammed had approved the murder of Khashoggi. » | Angelique Chrisafis in Paris and Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington | Friday, December 3, 2021

Emmanuel Macron entame une visite contestée en Arabie saoudite : Le président français est l’un des premiers dirigeants occidentaux à rencontrer le prince héritier Mohammed Ben Salmane depuis l’assassinat, en 2018, du journaliste saoudien Jamal Khashoggi. »

Élysée : Depuis Djeddah, le Président Emmanuel Macron répond aux questions de la presse. »

The Saudi Arabian Tyrant Silencing His Critics with Savagery | 60 Minutes Australia

”He might be wealthy beyond belief, and lead a life of extreme privilege, but in reality, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman is a thug and murderer; a man who places no value on the lives of those who question him. Now, ordinarily, uttering an insult like that would be enough to cause an international incident, but it’s what the CIA found following a top-secret investigation into the death of Jamal Khashoggi. The recently declassified report is damning, saying the outspoken journalist was assassinated, and his body dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, in an operation ordered by Bin Salmon. It’s savagery that’s stunned the world.”
Watch the documentary here.

EXCLUSIVE: Stunning Allegations against Mohammad Bin Salman | Amanpour and Company

Aug 11, 2020 • A suit filed in Washington, D.C. raises stunning new allegations against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman. Dr. Saad Al-Jabri, a former top Saudi intelligence official, claims Bin Salman sent an assassination squad to kill him just two weeks after the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. His son joins Christiane from Toronto for this exclusive interview. Originally aired on August 7, 2020.

Related links.

Saudi Crown Prince a ‘Psychopath’, Says Exiled Intelligence Officer

THE GUARDIAN: Saad Aljabri says Mohammed bin Salman boasted he could kill former ruler King Abdullah

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been accused by Saad Aljabri in a 60 Minutes interview of boasting he could kill the kingdom’s one-time ruler, King Abdullah. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
A former senior Saudi intelligence officer has claimed that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is a “psychopath with no empathy” who once boasted that he could kill the kingdom’s ruler at the time, King Abdullah, and replace him with his own father.

In an interview on US television, Saad Aljabri, who fled Saudi Arabia in May 2017 and is living in exile in Canada, also said he had been warned by an associate in 2018, after the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, that a Saudi hit team was heading to Canada to kill him.

Aljabri told 60 Minutes on CBS he was warned “don’t be in a proximity of any Saudi mission in Canada. Don’t go to the consulate. Don’t go to the embassy.” When he asked why, he said he was told “they dismembered the guy, they kill him. You are on the top of the list.”

Some details of the alleged murder plot, which were detailed in litigation in the US and Canada, have already been reported. But the 60 Minutes interview represents the first time Aljabri has publicly spoken about his break with Prince Mohammed.

He also spoke of the plight of his two youngest children, Sarah and Omar, who were arrested and are in prison in Saudi Arabia in what is widely seen as an attempt to force their father back to the country. » | Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington | Monday, October 25, 2021

Saudi aide accused of directing Khashoggi murder edges back to power »

Un documentaire sur MBS et l'Arabie saoudite ici.

Saudi crown prince suggested killing King Abdullah, ex-official says: Saudi Arabia's crown prince suggested using a "poison ring" to kill the late King Abdullah, a former top Saudi intelligence official has alleged. »

Here is the 60 Minutes interview.

MBS, le prince d'Arabie (2020) documentaire complet en français HD

Prince héritier d'Arabie saoudite, Mohammed ben Salman (dit MBS) se trouve - à seulement 34 ans - à la tête d'un État d'Asie occidentale qui possède d'immenses réserves pétrolières et pèse sur l'économie mondiale. Ce pays abrite également les principaux lieux saints de l'Islam et demeure le premier acheteur d'armes du monde. Accusé de l'assassinat barbare d'un journaliste, de l'enlèvement d'un Premier ministre étranger, engagé dans une guerre sanglante au Yémen, décidé à contrer l'Iran à tout prix, MBS est aussi un partenaire-clé dans la lutte contre le terrorisme, mène des réformes spectaculaires qui changent le visage de son royaume.

The Observer View on Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince

THE OBSERVER: How can the west continue to do business with the man who approved Jamal Khashoggi’s murder?

As details emerged of the gruesome 2018 murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul of the exiled dissident and journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, most observers became convinced it could not have happened without the approval of the all-powerful Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. The US intelligence report, published last week, definitively supports that conclusion.

Joe Biden is to be commended for making the CIA’s findings public after they were blocked by Donald Trump. The US sanctions imposed on Saudi government employees involved in the killing, and new measures to curb foreign agents who harass dissidents abroad, are welcome. But Biden’s too-pragmatic decision not to penalise Salman himself, the plot’s ringleader, and, in effect, let him off the hook, is dismaying.

The reasoning behind this shabby act of realpolitik is obvious enough. Saudi Arabia is an important western ally. Its cooperation is needed if Iran’s destabilising regional activities and nuclear programme are to be curbed. Hopes that Riyadh will follow the UAE and Bahrain in normalising ties with Israel are a factor, too. Saudi Arabia remains a key energy producer. And the crown prince, 35, is likely to lead the country for decades to come. » | Observer editorial | Sunday, February 28, 2021

Saudi Crown Prince Approved Killing of Jamal Khashoggi, US Report Says

THE GUARDIAN: New sanctions expected as a declassified intelligence assessment says Mohammed bin Salman had hand in journalist’s death

The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, approved the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to a declassified assessment of the killing released to the Congress by US intelligence agencies.

The four-page report confirmed the long-suspected view that the 35-year-old future king had a personal hand in the violent and premeditated murder of one of his most prominent critics, a columnist and former Saudi insider who was living in exile in the US and used his platform to decry the prince’s crackdown on dissent.

Friday’s release of the assessment was expected to be accompanied by further actions from the Biden administration, which are expected to be unveiled by the State Department. »| Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington | Friday, February 26, 2021

Jamal Khashoggi: US Report Expected to Name Saudi Crown Prince as Complicit in Murder

THE GUARDIAN: President Biden to call King Salman as his administration prepare to release intelligence report in ‘long awaited step’

Joe Biden is expected to call Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Wednesday, as his administration prepares to release an unclassified intelligence report that many experts expect will name the royal’s son and heir as complicit in the grisly murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

Biden’s plan to call to the 85-year-old ruler was reported on Tuesday night by Axios.

The decision comes as the White House is facing calls by human rights activists and Saudi dissidents to “strike a blow” against Saudi human rights violations with new sanctions that they say could help rein in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s crackdown on dissidents and turn the page on the Trump administration’s “embrace of despots”. » | Stephanie Kirchgaessner | Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Lina al-Hathloul: 'Most Saudis Know MbS Not a Reformer'

Lina al-Hathloul, sister of Saudi women's rights activist, Loujain al-Hathloul, talks to Christiane Amanpour about her sister's release from prison and says in Saudi Arabia, "activism is considered terrorism"

Biden Administration 'To Declassify Report' into Khashoggi Murder

THE GUARDIAN: Decision would mean US could assign blame for death on to Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman

The Biden administration will declassify an intelligence report into the murder by the Saudi government of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to Avril Haines, who has been nominated to serve as director of national intelligence.

The decision means that the US is likely to officially assign blame for Khashoggi’s brutal murder to the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist and US resident who wrote critical columns about the Saudi crown prince, was murdered by Saudi agents inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey in October 2018.

While media reports have said that the US intelligence community determined with a medium to high degree of confidence that Prince Mohammed ordered the killing, that assessment has never officially been stated. The crown prince has denied he ordered the murder. » | Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington | Tuesday, January 19, 2021

MbS Denies Sending Hit Squad to Kill Former Saudi Intel Chief

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has dismissed allegations that he sent a hit squad to kill former Saudi former intelligence officer Saad al Jabri. Jabri, who is in exile in Canada, says MBS plotted to kill him because he "knew too much." #SaadAlJabri #TigerSquad #MBS

Saudi Activist Faces Terrorism Charges for Driving While Female | The Mehdi Hasan Show

Lina Alhathloul joins Mehdi Hasan to describe the torture her sister, Loujain, has faced while in prison awaiting trial for terrorism charges.

When MBS Tortured His Relatives at the Ritz-Carlton | I Gotta Story to Tell | Episode 18

It’s been three years since Saudi Arabia’s young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman rounded up 400 of the kingdom's top businessmen, princes and ministers and confined them to the Ritz-Carlton hotel. Recently, a number of those detained have spoken to The Guardian and revealed new details of how the prominent figures were beaten for hours and extorted, often by clueless interrogators.

Decoded: When Bibi Met MbS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a secret meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the future city of Neom - an encounter the Saudis deny. Decoded this week tries to zoom in on the facts and significance of when Bibi met MbS.