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US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday defended his decision to meet Saudi officials this week, saying his visit was aimed at strengthening ties at a critical juncture, as the United States tries to increase pressure on the country. 39; Iran.
During a stopover in Jerusalem, Mnuchin said economic and strategic relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia were too important to be disrupted by an international outcry over the murder of a dissident journalist by the United States. Saudis.
The trip to Riyadh comes as Saudi Arabia faces a harsh global reaction following the death of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington editorialist from the Washington Post who lived in Virginia. The Trump administration is under pressure to react energetically, but President Trump is slow to acknowledge reports that Mr. Khashoggi was brutally murdered.
Mr. Mnuchin described what happened to Mr. Khashoggi as a "terrible situation" and stated that the United States would not show restraint towards countries that violate human rights, even though They have close economic ties.
"I think human rights issues are very important issues and I think the United States should play a leading role in human rights," he said. he declares.
But Mr Mnuchin said it was important to wait for more facts to appear before determining whether Saudi Arabia should be subject to sanctions under Magnitsky's Global Law and added that it was "premature" to discuss sanctions at this stage.
Last week, Mr. Mnuchin became one of the last leading characters withdraw from the investor conference that begins Tuesday in Riyadh, concluding that it would be inappropriate to mingle with business leaders a few weeks after the assassination of Mr. Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate Saudi Arabia in Istanbul.
"I did not think it was appropriate to go talk at the conference," Mr Mnuchin said during an interview Sunday.
But he added that the United States should maintain its ties with Saudi Arabia, especially because they were trying to prevent Iran from participating in the global financial system. "We have an important relationship with Saudi Arabia, focused on combating the financing of terrorism and our common interest in preventing the spread of terrorism and other problems in Iran," she said. he said, adding that he was considering "meeting my counterparts and continuing to focus on what's in the treasury field, with respect to this issue."
Despite widespread indignation against Saudi Arabia, Mr Mnuchin said that he did not intend to reprimand his Saudi counterparts for human rights violations. man.
"I'm sure I'll talk to the president before I go," he said. "If he has a message that he wants me to convey, I will of course do it." This is not the purpose of my trip.
Mr. Mnuchin planned to visit the US-led Terrorist Financing Targeting Center with Saudi Arabia, and meet with the Saudi Minister of Finance, the Minister of Energy and the Ministry of Energy. other economic officials in Riyadh.
A year ago, Mr. Mnuchin made his first trip as secretary to Saudi Arabia to speak at the investor conference and unveil the Terrorist Finance Center. He added that the initiative required even more work and that he intended to keep coming back to monitor his progress.
In Israel, the Treasury Secretary was at the first stage of a trip to six Middle East countries focused on combating the financing of terrorism. He also travels to Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait.
Earlier Sunday, he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss joint efforts to attack Iran.
With Mr. Mnuchin by his side, Mr. Netanyahu said in his office: "Pressure is the only thing stopping the progress of the Iranian nuclear program, and pressure is the only thing that is holding back the aggression of the Iranian nuclear program. 39, Iran in the region. "
The United States withdrew from the multi-country nuclear deal with Iran, known as the Joint Global Action Plan, this year, and the sanctions against Iran must be reimposed next month. This made it all the more important to maintain close ties with Saudi Arabia as the United States relies on the Saudis to increase their oil production in order to offset the loss of access to Iran's oil .
The withdrawal of the United States from the agreement on Iran has frustrated the European Union, which wishes to maintain the agreement intact and preserve the ties with Iran. Many European companies are working there and looking for ways to maintain their financial ties with Iran without coming up against American sanctions. Earlier this month, an official from the European Union said the block was set up a "special payments entity" that would protect non-US companies from economic actions by the United States against Iran.
During Sunday's interview, Mr. Mnuchin stated that he had not yet seen a workaround that affected him, but that he was overseeing such efforts.
"We really intend to apply our sanctions," he said.
The sanctions must come into effect on November 4th.
Mr Mnuchin is also engaged in delicate discussions with a financial messaging service run by a Belgian cooperative called Swift. The service plays a crucial role in transferring money into the international banking system by informing banks when their customers intend to do so. As a result of sanctions imposed by the United States, it may soon be subject to sanctions to keep in touch with Iran.
Although a resolution is still in preparation, Mnuchin said the Treasury Department would ensure that Swift is not used for prohibited transactions.
The president admitted that the Saudi government did not explain clearly what had happened to Mr. Khashoggi, but he continued to express his admiration for Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince, as a lover of his country.
Mr. Mnuchin described what happened to Mr. Khashoggi as a "terrible situation" and said that the United States would not show restraint towards countries that violate human rights even when they are in danger. they have close economic ties.
"I think that human rights issues are very important issues and that the United States must play a leading role in the field of human rights," he said. declared.
But Mr Mnuchin said it was important to wait for further facts to appear before determining whether Saudi Arabia should be subject to sanctions under the law Global Magnitsky – which allows the government to punish perpetrators of human rights abuses – and added that it was "premature" to discuss. sanctions at this stage.
The prospect of sanctions being imposed by the United States on Saudi Arabia has raised fears that the country will slow oil production in retaliation. Mr Mnuchin said, however, that he had no reason to believe that Saudi Arabia would not honor its oil production commitments.
