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The mandatory release of the report by Congress, which is expected to further implicate Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the death of the Washington Post columnist, is expected to take place shortly now that Biden and the King have spoken.
There was no mention of Khashoggi in reading the White House appeal that Biden welcomed the release of several Saudi-American activists and “affirmed the importance the United States places on human rights universal and the rule of law “. Asked Thursday by a reporter if it was a good call, the president replied: “Yes”. A source close to the Saudi government told CNN that “it went well.” White House officials had said the report would not be released until the appeal took place.
The release of the report will only be Biden’s latest change, with congressional backing, in relations with US ally Saudi Arabia. Democratic lawmakers are expected to present a resolution on Friday to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for Khashoggi’s death and dismemberment as well as other human rights violations.
A signal
Dennis Ross, who has worked on Middle East issues in several jurisdictions, said Biden was using the report’s release to send a message to Congress, where bipartisan anger over Saudi Arabia has simmered in recent times. years, as well as to the kingdom itself.
“Besides responding to what was a legislative mandate, it sends a signal to Congress and I think that’s also how the administration is saying to Saudi Arabia, ‘We are not going to protect you from the consequences. bad behavior, and so it’s best to avoid those behaviors, ”said Ross, now a consultant at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
“I think the Biden administration wants to make it clear that it’s a new day after the Trump administration … also just to send a message to the Saudis that the relationship is going to be recalibrated,” Ross continued.
While the relationship is under strain, there are areas where the United States wants and must cooperate with the Saudis, including on regional counterterrorism, Ross noted. “It’s hard to imagine a problem in the region where Saudi partnership and support does not play a significant role, but that said, there must be clear boundaries so that we can temper Saudi behavior that crosses the line.” Ross said.
The administration could also consider some sort of punishment for the Saudis after the report is released.
When asked if the administration would consider sanctions against those found responsible for Khashoggi’s murder, State Department spokesman Ned Price said Thursday: “I think we will soon be able to talk about measures to promote accountability in the future for this horrific crime. “
Price added that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will have “full faith and confidence” in the report’s findings.
The release of the intelligence community’s report on Khashoggi’s murder is mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act. This law requires the Director of National Intelligence to deliver to the appropriate committees of Congress an unclassified report containing “ a determination and presentation of evidence regarding the advanced knowledge and role of any current or former Saudi government official or any former or current Saudi political figure for directing, ordering or falsifying the evidence of the murder. ”
No surprises expected
The fundamental finding of the report should come as no surprise.
Shortly after Khashoggi’s murder in October 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the CIA felt with great confidence that bin Salman had personally ordered the murder. In June 2019, a United Nations investigator found it “inconceivable” that the royal heir was not aware of the operation.
Then-President Donald Trump declined to condemn the Saudi prince, however, even after it became clear that Saudi Arabia’s initial claims that Khashoggi’s murder was a rogue operation were baseless. Instead, Trump dismissed reports that the prince was involved in the murder, saying “maybe he did it, maybe he didn’t” and stressing that billions of dollars in US arms sales to Saudi Arabia were not worth sacrificing on the matter.
Biden went on to say that he “would make it clear that we weren’t, in fact, going to sell them more weapons, we were, in fact, going to make them pay the price and make them, in fact, the bet they are. There’s very little social cash value of the – in the current government in Saudi Arabia. “
Biden then drew a parallel between the murder of Khashoggi and the terrible humanitarian toll of the Saudi-led war in Yemen, saying he would “end the sale of materials to the Saudis, where they go and murder children. , and they murder innocent people. And so they must be held accountable. “
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said last week that the president was working to “recalibrate” US relations with Saudi Arabia and would contact Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, in place of the crown prince.
“The context here is the Trump administration’s approach to Saudi Arabia, which was so ‘see no harm’ that a recalibration was inevitable,” said Robert Satloff, executive director of the Washington Institute. of Near East Policy.
“It doesn’t mean the crown prince is going to be in diplomatic purgatory for this administration,” Satloff said. Rather, it means that there will be an early expectation of action to be taken a) to define the boundaries more clearly and b) to define what constitutes ‘responsibility’ for the murder of Khashoggi which President Biden has called for. his birthday.”
Khashoggi’s murder was “obviously an extreme example,” but just one of many events that caused real concern, Satloff said, leading the administration “to put the marker down so we have the kind of relationship that we would like to have, a partnership, there has to be substantial structural changes. “
Lawmakers are also working to ensure a structural change in the relationship.
“It is good news that the White House is releasing this information about Khashoggi that my colleagues and I have requested since his brutal murder,” Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California told CNN.
Khanna, co-leading letter from lawmakers to administration on Yemen, said there was “broad support in Congress for the Biden administration to keep its election promises to completely end military support for the Saudis and to [United Arab Emirates], which is imperative for the United States to support the end of hunger in Yemen and the start of a political solution. “
The letter comes as two Democratic members of Congress – Representatives David Trone from Maryland and Gerry Connolly from Virginia – are expected to present their resolution to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for Khashoggi’s death and other human rights violations.
The resolution will call for “a significant reduction in US aid to Saudi Arabia until the kingdom demonstrates genuine responsibility over human rights, rule of law and nuclear issues,” Trone said in a letter to colleagues obtained Thursday by CNN.
It also “seeks to curtail nuclear cooperation until Saudi Arabia signs a 123 deal for a civilian program that specifically prohibits uranium enrichment on Saudi territory,” Trone said in the letter.
The resolution is expected to be presented after Biden speaks with King Salman and after the intelligence report is released.
Nic Robertson of CNN in London, and Alex Marquardt, Jennifer Hansler, Betsy Klein and Kylie Atwood in Washington contributed to this report.
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