WASHINGTON: Donald Trump lauded Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a $1 trillion (Rs280.67 trillion) investment pledge while the latter tied Saudi normalization with Israel to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Tuesday that his kingdom wanted to normalize relations with Israel through US President Donald Trump’s Abraham Accords, but first needed a “clear path” to Palestinian statehood.
“We want to be part of the Abraham Accords. But we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of two-state solution,” Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler said in the Oval Office alongside Trump.
“We’re going to work on that, to be sure that we can prepare the right situation as soon as possible,” he added.
Pressed by Trump, who said that his guest had a “very good feeling” for the Abraham accords, the prince said: “We want peace for the Israelis. We want peace for the Palestinians.
“We want them to coexist peacefully in the region, and we will do our best to reach that date.”
Trump moved to consolidate his growing bromance with the de facto Saudi leader, giving him a parade of soldiers on horseback and a military flypast featuring F-35 jets that he said Washington would soon sell to Riyadh. Opening their White House meeting with praise for the prince’s “incredible” human rights record, Trump dismissed the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, saying “things happened” and calling the dead journalist “extremely controversial.” Trump also raged at a reporter, accusing her of “embarrassing” Prince Mohammed with her questions over the murder — which US intelligence has suggested the prince approved -- and saying the visiting royal knew “nothing about it.”
The Saudi prince responded by saying the murder and dismemberment of Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was a “huge mistake,” while insisting it had been fully investigated.
The heir to the throne then delighted Trump by announcing that he was increasing the $600 billion Saudi investment he promised Trump when the US president visited the country in May. “We can announce that we are going to increase that $600 billion to almost $1 trillion for investment,” Prince Mohammed said in the Oval Office. A grinning Trump asked him to confirm the figure, to which the Saudi royal replied: “Definitely.”
US President Donald Trump reiterated his claim that he stopped eight wars during his presidency, including India and Pakistan. The remarks came during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “I have actually stopped eight wars”. Trump said he was proud to have ‘stopped another one that was almost ready to start again’.
Trump pulled out all the stops for the Saudi prince, giving him treatment normally reserved for a state visit to the White House, despite the fact that he is not a head of state. He welcomed bin Salman -- who is widely known as MBS -- on the South Lawn of the White House as cannon fire boomed out, before they watched the noisy flypast by US military jets. Trump greeted bin Salman with a smile and a handshake on the red carpet, while dozens of military personnel lined the perimeter. The limousine was escorted up the South Drive by a U.S. Army mounted honor guard. Before sitting down for talks, the two leaders chatted amiably as Trump gave bin Salman a tour of presidential portraits lining the wall outside the Oval Office.
Later in the day, First Lady Melania Trump will hold a gala dinner. Portugal soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays in Saudi Arabia, will also be at the White House for the gala day of events, a White House official told AFP.
Trump meanwhile reiterated his intention to sell Saudi Arabia coveted F-35 stealth fighters, despite concerns from Israel and warnings from US officials that China could steal technological knowledge about the jets.
In another area of past contention, Trump will sign a deal on a framework for civilian nuclear cooperation, a US official and a source familiar with the negotiations said.
The 40-year-old prince has fostered close ties with Trump and his family over the years, including through investment pledges to the property billionaire-turned-US president.
