Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken said at an online event last week that Mr Biden took office with the intention of ensuring that US relations with Saudi Arabia “serve our own interests as well as our values as we move forward”.
“But let’s keep it,” Mr Blinken added, “because it also helps us achieve very important things.”
He made no mention of Saudi Arabia’s growing military ties and ties with China, a country he and Mr Biden have said are the United States’ biggest long-term rivals.
Separately, an advocacy group from close relatives of people killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks, used the prospect of Mr. Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia to increase pressure on the U.S. government to fight ties between Saudi states. officials and kidnappers. On Tuesday, family members sent two letters to government leaders with about 1,800 signatures, according to effort organizer Brett Eagleson, whose father was killed in the south tower of the World Trade Center.
The first letter, addressed to Congress, called for a supervisory hearing to examine the links between Saudi government officials and the 9/11 conspiracy. The second letter, addressed to Mr Biden and Mr Blinken, called on the State Department to take the extraordinary step of identifying Saudi Arabia as a state sponsor of terrorism, which would expose the oil-rich nation to economic sanctions.
“After nearly 21 years, we are determined, as always, to hold the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia responsible for its role in the massacres of our loved ones,” they wrote in both letters.
Last year, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the attacks, family members on September 11 pressured Mr Biden to declassify materials from the government’s inspection of relations with Saudi Arabia. Mr Biden issued an enforcement order, which led to the continued publication of such material. The letters cite excerpts, including a 130-page review written by the FBI in July 2021, which states that the investigation found that two kidnappers were assisted by a network centered on Saudi government offices, including his consulate in Los Angeles.
Charlie Savage contributed to the reports.
Add Comment