Once celebrated, the Saudi Crown Prince must face the foreigner

Riyadh:

Once celebrated on the world stage, the mighty Saudi Crown Prince faces the cold shoulder abroad.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman conducted an Arab tour before attending the Group of 20's summit in Argentina on Friday, where he faces world leaders strongly condemning the badbadination of Jamal Khashoggi. months in the consulate of the kingdom in Istanbul.

The country's de facto leader has sidelined international pressure, attempting to utilize overseas visits – followed by a quick domestic tour – to reinforce his tarnished reputation and strengthen his relations with his allies.

"The question is who among the world leaders will agree to support him publicly," said HA Hellyer, a senior member of the Atlantic Council and the Royal United Services Institute in London.

"I guess his appearances will be carefully arranged to avoid embarrbadment."

The prince has the dark prospect of being treated as a "." Bessma Momani, a professor at the University of Waterloo in Canada, said: "Group photos may be unavoidable, but Liberal Democratic leaders from countries like Germany and Canada will not be. wants to be seen shaking hands, "said Momani.

The former King of Spain, Juan Carlos, had to face sharp criticism on his handshake with the Prince in Abu Dhabi, his first stop on a regional tour also including close allies, Bahrain and Egypt. as well as Tunisia.

A Spanish conservative daily nicknamed "The Picture of Shame" an image of the laughing meeting that took place last Sunday at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

But the 33-year-old prince, widely known as MBS, used the regional tour as a victory round after US President Donald Trump – who touted Saudi Arabia as "a truly spectacular ally" – has set his sights on him.

Trump's categorical support arrived despite the badessment of the Central Intelligence Agency. the prince – who controls all the major levers of power in the Saudi government – was behind the murder.

"Do not be surprised that allies like Trump, the Chinese Xi (Jinping) and the Russian (Vladimir) Putin," says Momani.

Ice Reception

But some officials of the prince's entourage are preparing for an icy reception on the eve of their wedding.G-20 Summit

Before the Prince's visit, Human Rights Watch urged Argentine prosecutors to consider • to prosecute Prince Mohammed for alleged war crimes in connection with a war waged by the Saudi government in Yemen and possible accomplices in Khashoggi's badbadination. 19659004] It was unclear whether Argentine prosecutors would follow suit.

Trump is also under increasing pressure from US lawmakers, some of whom are demanding an investigation of his financial ties to determine whether the president in

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Pentagon Chief Jim Mattis were to brief US Senators Wednesday on Saudi Arabia in a climate of growing concern over the kingdom.

The prince's supporters fear that world leaders will take advantage of his weakened international position to obtain concessions from the kingdom in the face of falling oil prices

The prince should meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has maintained international pressure on the kingdom by issuing orders for the murder of Khashoggi took place at the "highest echelons" of the Saudi government.

"If Erdogan met with MBS on the sidelines of the G-20, it all indicates that an agreement was reached, which could include a reconciliation in the gulf and concrete steps to end the war in Yemen", said Sigurd Neubauer, a Washington-based Middle East badyst.

"However, a possible Saudi-Turkish agreement will probably not protect MBS from US Congressional investigations into Khashoggi's badbadination."

"He is here to stay"

In a taste from the acrimony expected at the G20 summit, the prince was confronted with hundreds of protesters. Tuesday during a brief stopover in Tunisia, with a lot of shouting "Go away badbadin!" and some chain chains stained with red evoke the macabre murder of Khashoggi.

Hostility contrasts sharply with the Prince of the United States' month-long tour at the beginning of the year, where he received a sort of rock star reception and was pierced on all sides. titans from the business world such as Disney's chef, Bob Iger, and Tim Cook from Apple.

In the campaigns poisoned by public relations, the crown prince had been presented as a liberalizer seeking to rebuild his conservative petro-state, while procuring a power unmatched by the former rulers.

The global consequences of the badbadination of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist criticizing the prince, seem to have torpedoed this effort.

But so far, he has not threatened to dislodge the prince because of his tight grip on the army. and security agencies and ruthless repression of its political rivals.

The Prince's Supporters Say that the fact that he came out of the kingdom in times of crisis is an indication of his firm belief

"The Prince is trying to show his national and international audience that he is leaving the palace and have the certainty that he will come back to control it, "said Momani.

"He wants to show that he is here to stay for decades … next sovereign of Saudi Arabia."

(With the exception of the title, this story does not show any signs that it is there. was not edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)