Washington– Washington (AFP) – President Donald Trump It was set to celebrate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Tuesday when the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia makes his first visit to the White House since the 2018 killing of a Washington Post journalist. Jamal Khashoggi By Saudi agents
US-Saudi relations had reached a state of chaos due to the operation targeting Khashoggi, who was a fierce critic of the kingdom, and which US intelligence agencies later identified as Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Probably directing agents To implement.
But after seven years, the dark clouds surrounding the relationship have dissipated. Trump has intensified his embrace of the 40-year-old crown prince, whom he considers an indispensable player in shaping the Middle East in the coming decades. For his part, Prince Mohammed denies his involvement in the killing of Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen residing in Virginia.
Khashoggi will likely be an afterthought as the two leaders unveil multibillion-dollar deals and meet with their aides to discuss the difficult path ahead in the turbulent Middle East. They will end their day with an evening gala at the White House, organized by First Lady Melania Trump, to honor the prince.
“They have been a great ally,” Trump said of the Saudis on the eve of the visit.
Before Prince Mohammed’s arrival, Trump announced this It agreed to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia Despite some concerns within the administration that the sale could result in China acquiring US technology behind the advanced weapons system.
Trump’s announcement is also surprising because some in the Republican administration were concerned about compromising Israel’s qualitative military superiority over its neighbors, especially at a time when Trump relies on Israeli support for the success of his election campaign. Peace plan in Gaza.
But this unexpected move comes at a time when Trump is trying to push the Saudis towards normalizing relations with Israel.
In his first term, the president helped establish trade and diplomatic relations between Israel, Bahrain, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates through an effort called the “International Alliance.” Abraham Accords.
Trump sees the expansion of the agreements as essential to his broader efforts to build stability in the Middle East after the two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
He says the signing of Saudi Arabia – the largest Arab economy and the birthplace of Islam – would create a massive domino effect. In fact, the president predicted in recent weeks that once Saudi Arabia signed the agreements, “everyone” in the Arab world “would join.”
But the Saudis stressed that a clear path must first be determined towards establishing a Palestinian state before thinking about normalizing relations with Israel. At the same time, Israelis remain staunchly opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state.
On Monday, the UN Security Council approved The American plan for Gaza Which authorizes the international stabilization force to provide security in devastated territories Envisions possible future path To an independent Palestinian state.
The leaders are sure to have a lot to talk about, including maintaining the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, mutual concerns about Iran’s malign behavior, and Sudan’s brutal civil war.
The Saudis are looking forward to receiving formal guarantees from Trump that define the scope of US military protection for the kingdom, although anything not ratified by Congress could be undone by the next president.
Prince Mohammed, 40, who turned away from the West after Khashoggi’s killing, is looking to re-establish his position as a global player and a leader determined to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil by investing in sectors such as mining, technology and tourism.
To that end, Saudi Arabia is expected to announce a multibillion-dollar investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States, and the two countries will work out details about new cooperation in the civilian nuclear energy sector, according to the senior Trump administration, which was not authorized to comment publicly ahead of the official announcement.
“I think the challenge for us as Americans is trying to convince someone like Mohammed bin Salman that Saudi Arabia’s path should look more like South Korea than, say, China,” said Bernard Haykel, a professor of Near Eastern studies at Princeton University, speaking at a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace event on Monday. “At the end of the day, political repression of political opposition is not good for business. It’s not good for attracting foreign direct investment, and it’s not good for your image if you’re a tourist destination.”
But Trump’s warm embrace this week may provide a counter to that argument for the crown prince.
In addition to the White House pomp, the two countries are also planning an investment summit at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday that will include the heads of Salesforce, Qualcomm, Pfizer, Cleveland Clinic, Chevron and Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s national oil and natural gas company, where more deals with the Saudis could be announced.
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AP Writer Josh Bok contributed to this report.