Khalid Bin Salman to Washington Next Week
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US officials reveal that the Saudi Deputy Defense Minister, brother of Crown Prince, will visit Washington next week, to present several files, the most important of which are efforts to reach a ceasefire in Yemen and the nuclear agreement.
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Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman.
US officials reveal to the Wall Street Journal that Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman will visit Washington next week, on an official visit to meet with several senior US officials.
The newspaper indicated that Bin Salman will visit the Ministries of State and Defense, along with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, but is not expected to meet with US President Joe Biden.
According to the newspaper, several issues will dominate the agenda, including security in Iraq and Syria, the continuing war, humanitarian crisis and efforts to broker a cease-fire in Yemen, the situation in "Israel" and the Palestinian territories, and from the Saudi side, concerns over the Biden administration’s renewed talks with Iran over its nuclear program.
Biden isn’t expected to meet the prince, the officials said. The National Security Council declined to comment.
It is worth mentioning that Bin Salman's visit to America is the first among members of the Saudi government since Biden took office.
And Prince Khalid bin Salman, the son of Saudi King Salman and younger brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will visit Washington at a time when relations between the two countries are fragile due to the murder of the Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The Biden administration declassified a report that the US intelligence issued in 2018, on the killing of Khashoggi, who confirmed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman authorized the operation in Turkey to kidnap or kill Jamal Khashoggi.
This coincides with the ongoing aggression on Yemen. In February, US President Joe Biden ordered an end to support for military operations in Yemen, as well as a halt to sharing intelligence and advising Saudi forces.
