[ad_1]
WASHINGTON – President Trump issued a statement Tuesday containing exclamation points on the assassination of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi. It took him a while to go to Mr. Khashoggi's house. But support him. This statement is a fascinating journey in the mind of the President. Mr. Trump, when he does not conceal his words, sometimes displays astonishing transparency as to why he is making decisions.
Here is the president's statement, as published by the White House, with additional context.
Statement by President Donald J. Trump on his talks with Saudi Arabia
America first!
The world is a very dangerous place!
Well yes! But not so dangerous, perhaps, that one expects to be murdered in a consulate while he is going to pick up papers for a wedding.
Iran, for example, is responsible for a bloody proxy war against Saudi Arabia in Yemen, attempting to destabilize Iraq's fragile attempt at democracy, supporting the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon, supporting dictator Bashar Assad in Syria ( who killed millions of his own citizens), and so much more.
Trump tries to remind the public of the real enemy of the United States. Hint: this is not Saudi Arabia. Riyadh's firm support for the Trump administration's hard line on Iran is the main reason why the White House has maintained its support for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia.
Similarly, the Iranians have killed many Americans and other innocents across the Middle East. Iran declares openly and with great force "Death to America!" And "Death to Israel!" Iran is considered "the main global sponsor of terror".
The Iranian government has been inclined to shout the equivalent of "Death to America" and "Death to Israel." However, officials said Iran's terrorist activity had recently stopped. Tehran is looking to keep Europe with the 2015 nuclear deal, which the Trump government withdrew.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabia would gladly withdraw from Yemen if the Iranians agreed to leave. They would immediately provide desperately needed humanitarian assistance.
Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen is a humanitarian catastrophe that has created the worst famine in the country. Despite ceasefire calls by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Saudi Arabia has stepped up its military operations. The lack of discipline and planning of Saudi air strikes has resulted in many civilian casualties, according to US officials. According to regional experts, the most decisive action taken by the Trump administration against Saudi Arabia so far has been to halt in-flight refueling for the Riyadh military campaign in Yemen.
In addition, Saudi Arabia has agreed to spend billions of dollars to lead the fight against radical Islamist terrorism. After my highly negotiated trip to Saudi Arabia last year, the Kingdom agreed to spend and invest $ 450 billion in the United States. It is a sum of money record. This will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, considerable economic development and considerable additional wealth for the United States. Of this $ 450 billion, $ 110 billion will be spent on the purchase of military equipment from Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and many other major US defense contractors.
This is an excellent example of Mr. Trump's brutally transactional foreign policy. He supports Saudi Arabia because he thinks it is essential for the US defense industry. Saudi Arabia spends considerable sums on military forces and the United States is the beneficiary. However, the president's figures are exaggerated. The problems of the Saudi economy have led the government to slow down some of the promises of buying expensive items, including the Thaad missile defense system.
If we foolishly cancel these contracts, Russia and China would be the huge beneficiaries – and very happy to acquire all these newly created cases. It would be a wonderful gift for them directly from the United States!
Nonsense! The Saudis can not hang a Russian or Chinese bomb on Apache F-15s or Apaches built by the Americans. They do not go. It will not work. Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in US-made and NATO-compliant weapons. Where do you find ammunition and spare parts for these planes and helicopters? United States.
The crime against Jamal Khashoggi was a terrible crime that our country does not approve of. Indeed, we have taken strong action against people already known to have participated in the murder. After extensive independent research, we now know many details about this horrible crime. We have already punished 17 Saudis who allegedly participated in the murder of Mr. Khashoggi and the disposition of his body.
We finally come to Mr. Khashoggi, Washington Post columnist and resident of Virginia, murdered last month at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. The Trump administration's sanctions mainly targeted members of the Saudi security team who went to Turkey to kill Mr. Khashoggi. It is interesting to note that the list of the administration included Saud al-Qahtani, one of Prince Mohammed's chief advisers, but did not include Ahmed al-Assiri, a former deputy chief of services Saudis, who, according to Saudi officials, had been the instigator of the plot to confront Mr. Khashoggi at the consulate on 2 October.
Representatives of Saudi Arabia have stated that Jamal Khashoggi is an "enemy of the state" and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, but my decision is by no means based on that. It is an unacceptable and horrible crime.
Mr. Trump repeats some of the phrases that the Saudi government has used to discredit Mr. Khashoggi. The President explicitly refuses to refute these claims, simply stating that his decision is not based on them. It can be said that he is a little behind.
King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman vigorously deny any knowledge of the planning or execution of Mr. Khashoggi's murder. Our intelligence agencies continue to evaluate all the information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince has learned of this tragic event – perhaps he did it and maybe not.
Who knows! Can we ever really know what happened behind closed doors? Mr. Trump is clearly waiting for the type of evidence presented on television: a recording of the Crown Prince giving the order or confessions of one of the members of the killing team. But former intelligence officers say that it is not so it works. The pieces of the puzzle are never all present. Even without the smoking gun, enough evidence has emerged for C.I.A. officials to conclude that Prince Mohammed had given order, according to current and former officials.
That being said, we may never know all the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, we have relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran. The United States intends to remain an unwavering partner of Saudi Arabia to defend the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region. Our overriding goal is to completely eliminate the threat of terrorism in the world!
Remember who the bad guy is here! Another clue: it's not Prince Mohammed.
I understand that some members of the congress wish, for political or other reasons, to go in a different direction – and they are free to do so. I will consider all ideas presented to me, but only if they are compatible with the absolute safety and security of America. After the United States, Saudi Arabia is the largest oil producing country in the world. They worked closely with us and were very responsive to my request to keep oil prices at reasonable levels – so important to the world.
The other presidents have often avoided talking about what is at the heart of the strategic alliance with Saudi Arabia – oil production and low gas prices. Not Mr. Trump. And surprisingly enough, he is right that the United States is the largest oil producer in the world.
As President of the United States, I intend to ensure that, in a very dangerous world, the United States defends its national interests and vigorously challenges countries that wish to wrong. Very simply, this is called America First!
In 1979, William Safire, editorialist of the New York Times and former editor of the presidential speech, gave the readers of this newspaper a wise advice: "Do not abuse the exclamation points !!!"
