The top American diplomat Mike Pompeo appears visibly satisfied with his mission to Riyadh, dubbing it «incredibly successful.»But to what end?
The top American diplomat Mike Pompeo appears visibly satisfied with his mission to Riyadh, dubbing it «incredibly successful.»
But to what end? So far, the United States has given the impression that it is prioritizing giving Saudi leaders a way out after the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
— How did the US react? —
US President Donald Trump sounded upset as the hypothesis that the journalist — a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who went missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 — was murdered grew increasingly plausible.
The Republican leader threatened the Gulf kingdom with «severe punishment» if it was found culpable.
But he has since softened the rhetoric, coming out strongly against halting arms sales to the Saudis and emphasizing the denials of King Salman and Prince Mohammed, widely known as MBS, who claim not to know what happened.
— What did the US get? —
In that context Pompeo went Tuesday to Riyadh, flashing wide smiles as he stood next to the king as well as the crown prince, who is suspected of being behind Khashoggi’s death.
The US secretary of state said he discussed with Saudi leaders «the importance of the investigation, completing it in a timely fashion, and making sure that it was sufficiently transparent that we could evaluate the work that had been done to get to the bottom of it.»
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters as his plane refuelled in Belgium that some of the sanctions on Turkey were «directly connected» to Pastor Andrew Brunson and «there’s a logic to now removing those»
LEAH MILLIS, POOL/AFP
«We received commitments that they would complete this, and I am counting on them to do that,» Pompeo said.
But on whether the journalist had died, Pompeo said «I don’t want to talk about any of the facts.»
«They didn’t want to either,» he said.
The diplomat’s attitude has left many in Washington cringing.
«A Saudi investigation isn’t credible,» said Dalia Dassa Kaye, who directs the Center for Middle East Public Policy at the Rand Corporation.
«Congress should be calling for intl independent probe and not accept Trump/Pompeo inclination to give Saudis a pass,» she tweeted.
— What are the real US intentions? —
Many in Washington suspect the government is seeking to provide cover to Saudi leaders.
«Why is the Trump administration cleaning up Saudi Arabia’s mess?» wondered the editorial board of The Washington Post, a daily that Khashoggi had published in.
«The US is organizing a diplomatic cleanup operation for MBS and (his) regime,» said Simon Henderson, a researcher at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
«As a White House level, apparently good,» he said of US relations with MBS.
The sequence of events has proved striking: on Monday, the US president mentioned the possibility that «rogue killers» may have been behind the disappearance.
Shortly thereafter, media reported that Riyadh would recognize that an interrogation of the journalist went wrong. And then, Saudi Arabia promised Washington that the culprits would be held accountable.
But Trump holds he is «not at all» giving the oil-rich US ally cover.
— Why? —
According to Henderson, «the president almost certainly would prefer to preserve the relationship and avoid Saudi retaliation.»
«They could cut oil production, but this will hit them hard economically,» he told AFP.
US President Donald Trump said Saudi Arabia remains a vital partner the «fight against all of the terrorism, everything that’s happening in Iran and other places»
SAUL LOEB, AFP
And according to Trump, Saudi Arabia remains a vital partner.
«You know we need Saudi Arabia in terms of our fight against all of the terrorism, everything that’s happening in Iran and other places,» he said.
The Sunni kingdom is indeed a cornerstone of the US effort to thwart regional influence from Shiite Iran.
The president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has forged a close relationship with MBS, has even envisioned a Middle East in which the Saudis aligned with Israel against Iran.
The Trump administration has remained silent over allegations against the powerful crown prince, including a purge of dozens of people last year that the royal family justified as an anti-corruption effort.
— Will it work? —
The «cleanup operation» underway is «only a Band-Aid to what looks like a much bigger problem,» said researcher Henderson.
«The bigger problem is how to contain MBS in the longer term,» he said.
Analyst Dassa Kaye doubts that the «rogue killer defense» will satisfy US members of Congress, who have vowed actions over the feared killing, with some calling for sanctions.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, an influential ally of Trump, called for MBS’s ouster, labeling him «a wrecking ball» who «had this guy murdered in a consulate in Turkey.»
Last week, top senators including Graham sent a letter compelling the White House to report to Congress within 120 days with a determination about whether human rights abuses had occurred, and whether sanctions should be applied.
